Russia’s Security Council deputy chairman Dmitry Medvedev warned on Friday that Moscow must abandon its “tolerant attitude” regarding Ukraine’s potential European Union (EU) membership. He argued that the bloc is rapidly shifting away from its original identity as a purely economic union.
Medvedev expressed deep concern over the changing nature of European integration and its implications for Russian national security interests. Consequently, he suggested that the EU could soon mirror the structural hostility typically associated with the NATO military alliance.
“The EU is no longer just an economic union. It can transform, and rather quickly, into a full-blown military alliance, one overtly hostile to Russia, and in some ways worse than NATO,” Medvedev said.
He emphasized that Russia should no longer view its neighbors joining the bloc with indifference. “It’s time to drop the tolerant attitude toward our neighbors joining what is now a military-economic European Union,” he added.
Transatlantic Tensions and NATO Shifts
While discussing broader geopolitical shifts, the former president addressed the future of the United States within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Although he doubts a total American withdrawal, he anticipates significant changes in how Washington manages its overseas military presence.
Medvedev said that he did not believe the United States would leave the NATO military alliance entirely. However, he noted that Washington could make symbolic moves, such as cutting the number of U.S. troops deployed to other NATO members.
Furthermore, he argued that internal friction within the alliance acts as a catalyst for European militarization. Medvedev said, though, that the obvious divisions within NATO could push the EU towards becoming more than simply an economic union.
