Belgian Defense Minister Francken warns Europe of a dark winter — Anadolu Agency

Belgian Defense Minister Theo Francken said in Brussels on September 30 that Europe should prepare for new Russian hybrid attacks in the coming months. He called Russia, the aggressor state, the greatest threat to the security of Belgium and Europe, Anadolu Agency reports.

Call to strengthen air defense

During the Euronews Defence and Space Summit, Francken emphasized the need to strengthen European air defense. According to him, air attacks from Russia are the greatest threat, so Europe needs air defense.

The minister also said that European countries need access to Ukrainian technologies to counter modern Russian drones. He called for increasing stockpiles, production and the industrial base, stressing that these processes should be accelerated.

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Belgium's defense spending

Francken said that Russia has decades of experience in hybrid operations, while Belgium and its allies must quickly adapt to technological changes. He warned against stockpiling equipment that may quickly become obsolete.

According to the minister, Belgium had underinvested in defense for decades and previously spent about 1% of gross domestic product on it. He noted that the country has already doubled defense spending, but it is impossible to make up for 40 years of lost time in 18 months. Francken added that defense spending at 5% of GDP is not realistic for Belgium in the near future because of the difficult fiscal situation.