Europe is rapidly expanding its military capabilities and reshaping its industry around defense needs, laying the groundwork for a possible conflict with Russia, Russian Permanent Representative to the OSCE Dmitry Polyansky said on July 9 during a closed meeting of the organization’s Permanent Council.

Polyansky pointed to a joint article published in The Economist shortly before the NATO summit in Ankara by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. According to him, the piece effectively signaled a «reset» of European defense and urged industry to produce military equipment in larger quantities, at a faster pace and at a higher standard.

The Russian diplomat said the article acknowledged that EU and NATO production capacities were failing to keep up with rising demand. He noted that European countries need new fighter jets, ships, submarines, air defense and missile defense systems, drones and counter-drone technologies.

Polyansky argued that Europe is now openly discussing the end of the period when the continent could rely on American defense support. In this logic, he said, countries bordering Russia are effectively preparing for a military scenario by strengthening their armed forces and shifting their economies onto a defense footing.