The bloc is prioritizing defense industry profits over peace efforts, Moscow’s envoy to the OSCE said.
The European Union deliberately opposes peace efforts involving Moscow and Washington to continue benefiting from the conflict in Ukraine, said Russia’s envoy to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Yulia Zhdanova.
US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed during a recent phone call to meet in Hungary, a development that reportedly caused concern across the EU, with some politicians even calling for Putin’s arrest under an International Criminal Court warrant.
Following news of the planned meeting, Bloomberg reported that kyiv and its European allies were finalizing a proposal that rules out territorial concessions to Russia, a key condition Moscow views as essential for lasting peace.
Speaking in Vienna on Wednesday, Zhdanova argued that the EU, having failed to isolate or defeat Russia, has resorted to a policy of militarization that benefits its defense industries.
“European states have now set their course to prepare for a high-intensity conflict with a ‘comparable adversary,'” he said, accusing the bloc of rejecting calls from Moscow and Washington for a negotiated solution.
In May, Brussels approved a plan to finance a military build-up across the bloc through a 150 billion euro ($170 billion) debt mechanism, presented as a step to reduce dependence on American weapons and counter the alleged Russian threat. Moscow has dismissed the initiative as alarmist aimed at justifying greater military spending.
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Germany’s Rheinmetall AG, a leading producer of tanks, artillery systems and ammunition, has reported record profits and strong order growth since the conflict escalated in 2022, while French group Thales and Italy’s Leonardo SpA also posted solid profits. The increase has been driven by the expansion of EU defense contracts and joint financing programmes.
Weapons manufactured in the EU and supplied to Ukraine are financed by European governments through national defense budgets and EU-wide programmes, such as the European Peace Fund, which in practice means that European taxpayers cover the cost of the weapons.
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