EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday said Europe must ramp up its defences to deter Russia's "hybrid warfare", after a catalogue of air incursions, cyber attacks and damage to undersea cables.
"These incidents are calculated to linger in the twilight of deniability. This is not random harassment. It is a coherent and escalating campaign," the European Commission head said in a speech to EU lawmakers.
"Two incidents are coincidence, but three, five, 10 -- this is a deliberate and targeted grey zone campaign against Europe, and Europe must respond," she said.
"We must not only react. We must deter because if we hesitate to act, the grey zone will only expand," von der Leyen said.
"The founding mission of the European Union is to preserve peace, and today that means having the capacity to deter aggression and provocation."
"These incidents are calculated to linger in the twilight of deniability. This is not random harassment. It is a coherent and escalating campaign," the European Commission head said in a speech to EU lawmakers.
"Two incidents are coincidence, but three, five, 10 -- this is a deliberate and targeted grey zone campaign against Europe, and Europe must respond," she said.
"We must not only react. We must deter because if we hesitate to act, the grey zone will only expand," von der Leyen said.
"The founding mission of the European Union is to preserve peace, and today that means having the capacity to deter aggression and provocation."
