Russia threatens Europe more than we realize - Italian Prime Minister
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (photo: flickr.com)
Russia poses a major threat to the security of the European Union. Among other things, Moscow can also use illegal immigration, states Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni quoted by Reuters.
“We have to understand the threat is much wider than we imagine,” Meloni said.
According to her, the threat to the EU's security from Russia or elsewhere will not stop after the conflict in Ukraine is over, and the EU should be prepared for this.
“It's about our democracy, it's about influencing our public opinion, it's about what happens in Africa, it's about raw materials, it's about the instrumentalization of migration. We need to know it's a very wide idea of security,” the prime minister said.
She called on the EU to do more to protect its borders and not allow Russia or any “criminal organization” to control the flow of illegal migrants.
Several EU members, including Finland and Estonia, have accused Russia of allowing illegal migrants from the Middle East and elsewhere to enter EU countries through Russia without proper checks, undermining EU security.
EU sanctions against Russia
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the EU has been constantly increasing pressure on Russia.
In particular, on December 15, the European Union introduced the 15th package of sanctions against Russia. The sanctions list includes 54 individuals and 30 organizations from Russia, China, and the DPRK.
The EU imposed sanctions against the Russian shadow fleet, the Russian military involved in the attack on Okhmatdyt, the management of companies in the energy sector, and those responsible for deporting children, propaganda, and circumventing sanctions.
The other day, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the EU had already started working on the 16th package of sanctions against Russia.
