Shifting the EPP Left, Manfred Weber Would Take Europe into War

Pro-war statements from the President of the European People's Party are a frequent occurrence. He has repeatedly declared his unwavering support for the Russia-Ukraine war in Hungary's neighborhood. European responsibility, joint nuclear weapons and unified military action: this is the vision of Manfred Weber, who is steering the People's Party to the left.

Manfred Weber, President of the European People's Party, stands in front of the polling station after casting his vote (Photo: DPA Picture-Alliance/AFP/Armin Weigel)

The head of the European People's Party (EPP) has repeatedly voiced his pro-war position in support of Ukraine to the wire. Manfred Weber is one of the European politicians who is fiercely in favor of escalating the war between Russia and Ukraine, even at the risk of starting a third world war.

Ukraine is Europe, Europe is Ukraine. No matter how long it takes, Russia must be defeated in Ukraine,

– Manfred Weber stated in Kyiv earlier this year. The pro-migration and pro-war politician is an enemy of Hungary..

Ukraine is Europe, Europe is Ukraine. No matter how long it takes, Russia must be defeated in Ukraine.

Good to speak to President @ZelenskyyUa again and discuss the political and military challenges we have in front of us.

🇺🇦🇪🇺 pic.twitter.com/5P7jfPdYAv

— Manfred Weber (@ManfredWeber) January 23, 2024

"Europe must build a deterrent, we must be able to deter, and to defend ourselves," Manfred Weber told Politico in January, echoing French President Emmanuel Macron's belligerent stance.

"I like to view the European dimension of nuclear defence as a long-term goal. But until this is realistic, we must accept Macron's offer and now we must think about how France's nuclear weapons can be embedded in European structures," Weber added.

Manfred Weber, President of the centre-right European People's Party (EPP), at a hotel in Budapest on June 14, 2024 (Photo: AFP/Attila Kisbenedek)

In May, he called for the establishment of a joint European army:

We must now be strong enough to defend ourselves and stand up for Ukraine. We need to prove it in the next five years. The goal: to establish a strong European pillar of our defence and, in the long term, a European army. Putin is testing every day how far he can go, especially on the Finnish and Baltic borders. The only possible response is for Europe to demonstrate unity and strength.

Speaking to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, The Hungarian-hating German politician underlined that the EU must intervene in the war, because by doing so, the bloc is only defending democracy:

We should be ashamed of the Ukraine war. Every day I am confronted with the fact that Germany and the EU have been too naive in their approach to Putin, who is a dictator. His bombs are falling on Ukraine, but his attacks are targeting freedom and democracy.

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Ukrainians are suffering. They are fighting our fight for freedom and democracy. They believe in these values. This is why we must step up our support for them, sending the weapons and ammunition they need, allowing them to defend themselves and our values. We want to be on Ukraine's side, these are such times. If we want to preserve peace in the European Union, we need to reinforce Ukraine,

– the pro-war politician wrote on his social media, back in February. He went further in a public debate, calling for the creation  of "a European nuclear weapon".

According to Mr Weber, the European dimension of nuclear defense must be extended.

"But until this is realistic, we must accept Macron's offer and consider how France's nuclear weapons may be embedded in European structures," he said.

And in another interview, he emphasized that regardless of who is elected as the next US President, Europe must be able to stand on its own in terms of foreign policy, and it must be able to defend itself independently.

The leader of the European People's Party, who is pushing the EPP to the left, also underlined that, besides the nuclear deterrence, Europe must be strong as a whole, it must turn into some sort of war-time industry. Putin only understands force, he argued.

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Therefore, Ukraine should be reinforced as much as possible, Mr Wber told German public media.

We should supply Ukraine with enough weapons not only to avoid defeat, but also to enable them to secure victory.

Mr Weber, who has not changed his pro-war stance, keeps repeating his position almost religiously, at every possible forum:

"This is our war, too. Putin must not win this war."

Earlier, Mr Weber called for joint arms and ammmunition production, and then he urged the transfer of heavy tanks and modern weapons systems.

"It is becoming clear: we need - even though this is not an easy word - some type of war-time economy in the EU to guarantee stability and security. EU member states need to increase their weapons and ammunition production capacities as swiftly as possible."

He called on his own country, Germany, to provide Ukraine with state-of-the-art weapons.

However, weapons are worth nothing without soldiers wielding them, so Mr Weber reintroduced  a proposal he had previously rejected. Known as the so-called Weber Plan, the idea of introducing a mandatory, Europe-wide military service for men and women first emerged as a proposal by the Junge Union in 2017.

He told the Berliner Morgenpost about a defence community, an idea that's already been put forward by the continent's leading powers:

"Today, the idea is: let's take joint responsibility in Ukraine and in the world."

Manfred Weber defines himself as a representative of the democratic world. On one occasion he said

With Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, Russia and North Korea, a new axis of evil has been realized, while China is playing its own game. The democratic world stands against all this.

Mr Weber, who would indirectly make European citizens shoulder the costs of the Ukraine war, already talked about reconstruction in March.

"Why should others pay for Russian crimes?" he asked.

"If it is possible under international law to seize frozen Russian assets, the EU should do it. If not, at least the interest should be drained and used for reconstruction. Putin must pay," he added.

The pro-war president of the European People's Party, also known for not rejecting mass illegal migration besides his belligerent views, would be glad to punish Hungary, because - according to the communications director of the co-ruling Fidesz-Christian Democrat (KDNP) party alliance - Hungarians say "no" to war, "no" to immigration and "no" to the LGBTQ propaganda.

Cover photo: Manfred Weber, President of the European People's Party, stands in front of the polling station after casting his vote (Photo: DPA Picture-Alliance/AFP/Armin Weigel)