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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday called on Europe to "fight back" against forces including "ultra-nationalists, anti-Europeans, Russian interference and disinformation", warning that attempts to divide the bloc were undermining confidence in Europe and its democracies.
Addressing the European Parliament in her 2026 State of the Union address, von der Leyen said forces were seeking to "weaponise" concerns including wars, global competition and disruptive technology to "drive a wedge between us". "A battle of narratives is seeking to weaken confidence in Europe, to paralyse our democracies," she said. "We see this in the rise of the extreme, the decline of nuance, even in the way that we relate to each other," she added. "So our choice is clear," she told Members of the European Parliament. "Do we want a strong and independent Europe that stands up for its values in this world? Or do we want to rally around our European idea that together we can decide our own destiny? Or do we let our democracies be undermined by the proxies and puppets of authoritarians?" she added. The EU head specifically named ultra-nationalists, anti-Europeans, Russian interference and disinformation as forces seeking to divide the bloc. "The names may be different, but their goal is the same. They despise our values, and they want to shatter our European unity. So let's not only fight back against that, but let's fight together for our European idea," she said. On the defence front, von der Leyen said Europe had increased its defence spending by 80 per cent over the past five years amid what she called an increasingly hostile security situation. "This is a Europe that stands up for each other," she said, adding that Ukraine was also supported in this effort. "Or when we stood up for Greenland when threatened," she said, referring to Europe's response to security challenges. "Or when drones, hybrid attacks or disinformation target our democracies," she added. Her remarks came after the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party swept the election in Saxony-Anhalt, her native Germany. In this regard, on September 12, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that what is happening in Europe is the result of "systemic mistakes" by the West in politics, security and the economy, while commenting on the Alternative for Germany (AfD) surging into first place in state elections in Germany's Saxony-Anhalt. On the sidelines of the BRICS Summit, Putin said, "I think that everything that is now happening in Europe as a whole is the result of systemic mistakes by the so-called West, or, more precisely, by the West's globalists, in the areas of politics, security, and the economy." "Everyone makes mistakes. We have made quite a few mistakes ourselves, as has the rest of the world. But the problem for the West's globalists is that, after the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union, they felt themselves to be at the 'top of Olympus' and apparently believed that: first, everything was permitted to them; and second, that they were the ones who never make mistakes," he added. (ANI)
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