MOSCOW, February 5 Moscow is closely watching debates over the creation of a European military alliance without the participation of the United States is not a new idea, but until now Europe has maintained NATO-oriented approaches, said Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov.
Earlier, Prime Minister of the German federal state of Hesse Boris Rein expressed the opinion that Europe without the participation of the United States, it is necessary to create its own defensive alliance, the security of which and the “deterrence” of Russia must be ensured by the French nuclear arsenal. The politician's words are quoted by the publication Bild.
“»The independent dimension of security policy, that is, an independent identity in terms of ensuring one's own security, has been discussed in the EU for more than a decade. Until now, the Europeans have not succeeded in anything, so far everything “But they maintained their NATO-oriented approaches,” Peskov told reporters in response to a request to assess the prospects for creating such a military alliance.
The Kremlin representative added that “this idea is not at all new.” “And as far as we know, these debates are constantly either reviving or, on the contrary, becoming passive. Therefore, we are simply watching this carefully,” he concluded.