Failure to agree a common defence strategy risks emboldening Vladimir Putin. The squabbles have to stop

The closer Russia’s hybrid war comes to European capitals, the less EU leaders seem able to agree on how to respond. That, at least, was the worrying impression left by a dissonant EU summit in Copenhagen. Summoned last week to build consensus on the top priorities for European rearmament, the meeting was an embarrassing display of the turf wars, political squabbles and hidden agendas that are plaguing attempts to build a coherent European defence. Leaders quarrelled not only about who should be in charge of Europe’s military buildup but also about how to fund Ukraine’s continued resistance against Russian aggression, and how to advance Kyiv’s bid for EU membership.

They voiced alarm at repeated breaches of their airspace by drones buzzing European airports and military bases, and Russian fighter jets violating their borders but appeared unsure how to react. Shoot them down? Escort them out? Keep calm and carry on? Or hit back by leveraging frozen Russian assets to provide a giant loan to Ukraine, taking more aggressive steps to choke off Moscow’s oil and gas exports, and giving Kyiv long-range missiles to strike deeper inside Russia? No consensus emerged in Copenhagen, but decisions need to be taken soon.

Paul Taylor is a senior visiting fellow at the European Policy Centre