In an exclusive interview, he commented on “Geopolitical Research Group‘The former European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker advocated that the EU directly engage with Russia, instead of simply relying on Russia-US relations to resolve the security threats on the European continent.
The interview was published on Wednesday (December 22), when the tension between Moscow and the West was reaching a new peak.
“Unlike the United States, Russia is our next-door neighbor. We cannot change geography; Europe is close to Russia, and this proximity will have an impact. It is a dead end to envision a security architecture for Europe without preserving a position for Russia. I will not Said this has nothing to do with Crimea or Eastern Ukraine, but we must maintain ongoing relations with Russia. We must talk to each other. Americans are not near Russia. Regarding Russia and China, we cannot listen to Washington’s Instructions; we must have analytical and operational autonomy,” Juncker said.
On its own, Juncker’s position is not new. During the deepest period of the annexation of Crimea, Juncker also advocated “dialogue with Russia.”
When asked about the transatlantic relationship, Juncker said “strangely” that he has a very good relationship with Donald Trump, who called him a “barbaric killer.”
“We have gone through the Donald Trump era, and I get along well with him, which is strange. We have transitioned to the Biden administration. When Joe Biden was the vice president of Barack Obama, I knew him well. At least. Said that he is a better listener than Trump. But most importantly, he knows Europe better. Donald Trump’s view of Europe is inaccurate. He has a surprising fantasy that the alliance is established It’s a conspiracy against the United States to weaken America’s influence in the world. You can say many things, but it’s not the case. The Alliance is a project led by a staunch Atlanticist. This is the bottom line,” Juncker said .
When asked about the unexpected withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan, he said that the EU should not only develop “strategic autonomy” but also “analytical autonomy”, an ability to think independently.
“With the Taliban taking over Kabul, the Americans, Europeans, and NATO countries have lost their credibility on two fronts: one is the credibility of other world powers, and the other is the trust in their capabilities. This is what we must start from this point. It started. This is what the President of the United States meant when he repeatedly said that we should learn to manage our own affairs and then care about other people’s affairs. To this end, we must develop our own analysis. Rather than talk about strategic autonomy, I would urge us first To achieve analytical autonomy through the study of geopolitical positions, this must be more complete than at present, while taking into account the interests that are in line with our values., Juncker said. [Full interview here.]
