EU Military Presence in Ukraine Heightens Risk of Confrontation With Russia – Expert
German soldier holds a Heckler & Koch G36 assault rifle at a military training ground near Weisskeissel, Germany
The EU’s decision to station troops in Ukraine marks a clear escalation, as Russia considers foreign troops there as legitimate targets, Mikael Valtersson, a Swedish Armed Forces and air defense veteran and former chief of staff for the Sweden Democrats, tells Sputnik.«You must ask yourself if a hidden reason is to increase the likelihood of EU casualties, that can be used to motivate further EU escalation and ‘prove’ how dangerous Russia is,» the pundit says.On November 10, the Council of the European Union agreed to train Ukrainian troops on Ukrainian soil under the EU Military Assistance Mission (EUMAM), marking the first such deployment since the conflict began.»[The EU] will of course say that this isn’t an escalation, but any Russian answer will be seen as an escalation that might be used to broaden the mission’s objectives,» Valtersson notes.The EU isn’t interested in launching a full-fledged was against Russia, but it seeks to weaken growing opposition within the EU against «continued militarization and warmongering from Brussels,» the expert believes. The problem is that «every escalation risks getting out of hand and result in a full-fledged confrontation.»»Just like the start of the First World War. Nobody wanted a world war, but once the wheels started to turn, there wasn’t any turning back,» he concludes.
WorldEU to Establish Official Military Mission Presence in Ukraine for the First Time10:07 GMT
