ISTANBUL, May 5. /TASS/. Europe’s security depends to a large extent on Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Turkey, Huseyin Bagci, head of the Ankara Global Advisory Group think tank, told TASS.

"Security in Europe today continues to depend to a large extent on the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia. We are going through a period in which the strategic importance of Russia and Turkey for European security is being reassessed. Meanwhile, without the United States, it remains almost unimaginable. France’s nuclear capabilities alone are not enough for this, and there is no unified European nuclear deterrent," the expert said.

According to the source, it will be difficult for the European Union to become a military alliance given its current status. "It attempted such a transformation in the early 2000s, when the United Kingdom was still a member of the EU, but did not succeed," he added.

Commenting on a recent statement by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen about the need to unite Europe "so as not to fall under the influence of Russia, Turkey, or China," the expert said that such remarks indicate that the EU has yet to develop its own security strategy. "An analysis of Turkey’s security relations with Europe and its role within NATO clearly shows that Turkey is not a consumer but a provider of security for the European Union. Other statements may indicate that the EU has yet to formulate a coherent security strategy," Bagci added.

Earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, commenting on relations between Ankara and the EU, said that "today, Europe needs Turkey more than Turkey needs Europe.".