The political scientist also noted that the main incentive for talk of military integration in Europe is Russia, which is perceived by Europeans as the main threat.
“China can only invade Europe through tourism – in this sense, it has already occupied Europe,” the expert said.
According to Kalachev, the prospects for creating a unified European army directly depend on the future of NATO. At the same time, the RIA Novosti interlocutor noted that the new US President Donald Trump is unlikely to completely curtail the American military presence in Europe, although he may reduce the contingent.
“The US military presence in Europe is not only about protecting Europe, but also about protecting the US,” the expert recalled.
Photo - © Sergey Tolmachev / Lori Photobank
As political scientist and associate professor at Lomonosov azerbaijan mobile database Moscow State University Artem Kosorukov noted in a conversation with RIA Novosti, the main problem with creating a unified European army is that Germany and France are pulling the blanket over themselves. At the same time, defensive integration in the Old World will be resisted by the United States, which does not benefit from it, so most likely the Europeans will not succeed.
"Europe is the main geopolitical asset of the USA. If this region is allowed to float freely, then either Russia will immediately become stronger or China will come. Therefore, the USA will not abandon Europe - it is a key trophy from the results of World War II and the Cold War. They will not withdraw their bases, but they will definitely make you pay more."
Artem Kosorukov
political scientist, associate professor at Lomonosov Moscow State University
Kosorukov also noted that it is in Europe that the key center of influence of the United States on the rest of the world is located.
"This is the base in Eurasia that Brzezinski spoke about. Eurasia is the "great chessboard", and we need to strengthen our pieces on it. Europe, Japan, Korea, bases in the Persian Gulf are the peripheral, facing space that allows us to control the world's largest continent. Therefore, no one will leave Europe," the political scientist concluded.
Answering the question of whether European countries could introduce their peacekeeping contingent into Ukrainian territory in the event of a freeze in hostilities between the Russian and Ukrainian Armed Forces, Kosorukov noted that Europe would not dare to do so without permission from the United States, and if this did happen, the contingent would be very modest. However, according to the expert, the number does not play a big role in this case.
"Even if they gather 5,000 people and deploy them along the demarcation line, this will be a political signal that NATO is entering a war with Russia head-on. And either peace and an agreement must be concluded immediately, or, let's say, this contingent will be subject to influence and the war will continue," the RIA Novosti source believes.