This is a signal not only to Putin in Moscow, but also to a whole series of European capitals, where they still only sluggishly observe Russian violations and limit themselves to press releases in the spirit of: "we scrambled aircraft."Last week, an EU summit took place in Copenhagen. There, European leaders were supposed to decide how to respond to Russian provocations against themselves, how to build a "drone wall" on the eastern borders, and how to continue supporting Ukraine in the war of attrition. But instead of concrete decisions — only criticism of the very idea of multi-layered defense against air attacks and disputes about money."Today's peaceful life of all EU countries without exception rests on only one safeguard — the Ukrainian army. If we hypothetically "remove" the Ukrainian soldier from this equation, what would remain in Europe?"Russia has drawn conclusions from its war experience. It has restructured its economy, launched scientific and research rearmament programs, finances military startups, analyzes and improves battlefield tactics. The skills acquired during the war — in air, information, and hybrid warfare — Moscow is already now applying against EU countries. And we see that no European state has the forces capable of actually resisting this. At the same time, Putin is already openly calling Europe, not the U.S. as before, Russia's main enemy.Under these conditions, Europe must prepare its own armies as quickly as possible to defend against Russia, or strengthen support for Ukraine and its Armed Forces — so that the Russian army is stopped as far as possible from EU borders. If nothing is done, things will only get worse — and much faster than it seems. Putin openly despises Europe, considers it weak and spineless. According to economists' estimates, he has sufficient financial resources to afford another "low-intensity war." A hybrid air war against NATO — with "accidental" Russian aircraft, drones, or missile strikes — fits this scenario perfectly. And it seems we are already observing its imperceptible beginning since early autumn.In reality, no one can say with certainty whether the U.S. will defend its European allies in case of a direct Russian invasion. Article 5 of the NATO Treaty does not oblige sending troops — it only mentions "taking such action as it deems necessary." That is, theoretically, a few posts on the Truth Social network could also be deemed sufficient to fulfill obligations, if their author so decides.Therefore, today's decision by the European Parliament to strengthen the protection of EU airspace and authorize the shooting down of Russian aircraft is an important political signal. In Europe, the number of politicians and experts who understand the danger of passivity is growing.The desire of some EU countries to save on their own security — even at the cost of Ukrainian resistance — effectively makes Europe a target for future aggression. Whereas Ukraine's example proves: only strength guarantees survival.SourceAbout the author. Mykola Kniazhytskyi, journalist, Ukrainian lawmaker.The editorial board doesn't always share the opinions expressed by blog or column authors.