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Russian envoy says EU’s new defense strategy will seek greater autonomy

The newest strategy to be discussed in January 2022

MOSCOW, December 28. /TASS/. The EU’s security proposal, known as the Strategic Compass, will aim to boost the bloc’s strategic autonomy, Vladimir Chizhov, Russia’s envoy to the EU, said on Tuesday.

"It’s clear the EU won’t become a collective nuclear power," he said at an online news conference. "The Strategic Compass will aim to implement the EU’s concept of strategic autonomy that has been talked about so much."

Foreign ministers of EU member countries will discuss the new strategy in January 2022, and the bloc will approve it in March, Chizhov said.

The Strategic Compass is a defense strategy proposal that wouldn’t conflict with collective defense as part of NATO, according to EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell. The proposal stipulates the creation of a rapid response force of up to 5,000 people, which would allow Brussels to conduct missions, including military operations, in any place of the world. The strategy also covers the domains of cyber security and outer space.

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