EU-Ukraine military industries’ merger drags Europe into war with Russia — politician

ROME, April 16. /TASS/. The merging of the EU and Ukraine's military industries is an extremely dangerous mechanism that draws Europe into a war with Russia, Francesco Toscano, president and co-founder of Italy’s Sovereign Popular Democracy party, told TASS in an interview. "It seems that there are leaders within the EU, mainly in Germany and the Baltic states, who want to make a name for themselves by creating an image of an external enemy - Russia. This is why they seek to create a symbiosis between the military system of Ukraine and some European countries. But it is obvious that this is fraught with the EU's joining the war, not NATO. This is a very dangerous mechanism," he said. He said that merging Ukrainian military production with the EU military industry is not covered by a document or an agreement. "This is beyond military alliances and legal norms," he continued. "But most importantly, this merger is taking place silently, is not discussed at the political level, the people are not informed about these processes. Because if the military complex of a country at war merges with the industry of the countries that are not formally at war, but are working on this merger, this is a direct way to involve Europe in the war, also secretly," the politician said. On Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry published the names and addresses of the European companies that produce parts for Ukrainian UAVs for strikes on Russia. The list mentions four Italian firms. TASS found out that all four companies specialize in high-tech components for engines and light aircraft. A source with knowledge of the situation told TASS that European companies have been involved in military production for Ukraine for a long time with the funds disbursed by the EU, "which are also used in Europe." On Wednesday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni met with Vladimir Zelensky in Rome. She said that Italy is interested in joint production of UAVs and Ukrainian developments. However, a spokesperson for the head of the Italian government told TASS that no specific documents or agreements were signed.