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EU cannot support Ukraine in military conflict without US — Kneissl

According to the former Austrian foreign minister, "France is now very upset that Germany and Poland are buying weapons from the United States, and not from France"

VELIKY NOVGOROD, April 21. /TASS/. Europe will not be able to carry the burden of supporting Ukraine in the military conflict without the help of the United States, Karin Kneissl, former Austrian Foreign Minister and head of the Geopolitical Observatory for Russia’s Key Issues (G.O.R.K.I), a research center at St. Petersburg State University, said.

"I do not expect [the European countries] to be able to cope with this burden, because a big part of this is acquiring weapons, including from the United States, and Europe relies heavily on the US military industry," Kneissl told reporters.

According to her, "France is now very upset that Germany and Poland are buying weapons from the United States, and not from France."

Kneissl also said that, in general, the rhetoric is moving towards what she called "collective hysteria," constant references to the impending war, and the transition of the economy to a war footing. "The leaders of the European Union say almost every week: 'We must get ready, because Russia will attack the European Union in 2030.' The atmosphere is very tense," she added.

Kneissl is in Veliky Novgorod to give an open lecture titled "History. Power. Diplomacy," which will be followed by a discussion on the fate of diplomacy in Europe and the world. The event is part of the cycle "12 lectures on ..." of the priority regional project City-University.

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