EU weighs NATO-style joint response to Russian hybrid attacks
European countries are discussing coordinated responses to sabotage, cyber and other hybrid attacks blamed on Russia, the Financial Times reports.
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European Union countries are discussing a NATO-style joint response mechanism for hybrid attacks tied to Russia, the Financial Times reports.
The idea echoes NATO's mutual defence principle, under which an attack on one member is treated as an attack on all. Applying that logic to hybrid threats would mark a shift for the EU, which has so far responded to individual incidents rather than through a standing collective mechanism.
The discussion comes as European leaders describe Russian activity as intensifying. Emmanuel Macron has proposed a two-way freeze on strikes against energy infrastructure, arguing that Russia treats Europe as an extension of the battlefield in Ukraine. Separately, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met Russia's Kirill Dmitriev after Dmitriev held talks in Washington and Marco Rubio met Sergei Lavrov, CNN has reported.
The push for coordination also runs up against gaps in Europe's own defences. The European Defence Agency has warned that European countries are not rearming fast enough to meet targets set for 2030. With gas storage levels low and militaries under strain, a formal joint response system would mark a move toward a more preemptive posture, but it would not close the gap between Russia's stated willingness to strike civilian infrastructure and Europe's continued dependence on energy imports and underprepared defences.