EU diplomacy chief Josep Borrell called the EU a herbivore in a world of predators and power politics, which, due to the conflict in Ukraine, was forced to wake up from its sleep on the issue of defense.
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“We are herbivores in a world of carnivores. This is a world of power politics, but we still remember that through trade and promoting the rule of law, we can influence the world. We still have to preach the rule of law, but we also have to realize that there are some leaders who that need to be treated differently,” the diplomat said.
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However, reflecting on how the conflict in Ukraine affected the EU on defense spending, Borrell said European countries had been forced to “wake up from the siesta they had been living under the American nuclear umbrella.”
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Borrell also said during a recent speech at New York University that the UN Security Council has been “completely useless” in recent years due to its divisions.
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The head of EU diplomacy has recently attracted criticism even in the EU with his public statements. In early December, at a meeting of the European Parliament’s Committee on Combating Foreign Intervention, Borrell said that the sincerity of Africans participating in demonstrations in support of Russia was questionable. In his opinion, African residents who support Moscow’s position “don’t know where Donbass is and who President Vladimir Putin is.” The EU’s chief diplomat immediately received a portion of criticism from German MEP Ozlen Demirel, who said that such a position was “arrogant” and “one should not be surprised when Africans become disappointed, nervous and turn to Russia for assistance.”
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Speaking on October 13 at the opening of the European Diplomatic Academy in Bruges, Belgium, Borrell expressed the opinion that “privileged” Europe is a “garden”, and the world around it is a “jungle”, capable of rudely invading a well-oiled and perfectly functioning European mechanism. These words of Borrell caused a controversial reaction in the European and international community and forced the EU foreign policy service and the most important diplomat in Europe to justify themselves. He, in particular, stated that his statement was taken out of context and misunderstood.
