The "ReArm Europe" strategy, adopted at the Council of Europe’s meeting on March 6, 2025, is feasible in the longer term, not in the short term, the director of the Institute for Strategic Initiatives (IPIS) Vlad Kulminski stated in a public debate hosted by IPN News Agency. According to him, the EU's decision to increase its defense capabilities will produce visible effects in the medium to long term, in 5-10 years.
“We are witnessing a new geopolitical redistribution and the direction that the Republic of Moldova will choose now will have long-term consequences,” said Vlad Kulminski.
"For the first time in history, we have a political opportunity to define our fate. Let us decide and say very clearly who we want to be with - we want to be with the EU in this geopolitical redistribution or we want to return to the sphere of influence of the Russian Federation.”
The speaker referred to the EU's efforts to strengthen its defense industry and become less dependent on foreign partners, especially the U.S., in an increasingly tense geopolitical context.
"The European Union wants to create a stronger defense sector, when defense spending will increase drastically, spending on weapons production will increase drastically. The "ReArm Europe" strategy is not feasible in the short term. This strategy will bear fruit in the medium to long term. It goes to about 5-10 years. At the current stage, it is not realistic to expect that the EU will build a security sector separate from the U.S.’s," said Vlad Kulminski.
According to the expert, Europe cannot completely dissociate itself from the American defense system in the near future, and NATO remains the alliance that guarantees global security. In this context, the Republic of Moldova must take sides with the European Union, not with Russia in the geopolitical redistribution process.
"NATO remains a crucial alliance for the defense of the EU, but also for the world order. Over time, the EU will assume an independent security posture. But in the medium term, the world order depends on NATO. If this basic pillar of world security will no longer work, there will be repercussions all over the world," noted Vlad Kulminski.
The public debate entitled "Europe's security at a historic crossroads. What is Moldova's place?" was the 327th edition of the series "Developing political culture through public debates". IPN Agency implements the project with support from the German Hanns Seidel Foundation.
