A European Union army should be created to help defend the continent from Russian aggression, the European Commission president has suggested. Jean-Claude Juncker said pooling the defence resources of the 28 EU nations could help send a message to Vladimir Putin that its borders would be protected.
However the move was panned by the UK Independence Party who warned the move would be a "tragedy for the UK".
The comments came during an interview Mr Juncker gave with Welt am Sonntag, a German news magazine.
"Such an army would help us to build a common foreign and national security policy, and to collectively take on Europe's responsibilities in the world,” Mr Junker said.
He added: “It would show Russia that we are serious when it comes to defending the value of the European Union."
The comments were seized on by Ukip's defence spokesman Mike Hookem, who said: "A European army would be a tragedy for the UK.
"We have all seen the utter mess the EU has made of the eurozone economy, so how can we even think of trusting them with this island's defence?
"This is simply a disaster in the making that would see Gibraltar returned to Spain and the Falkland Islands left open to an unopposed invasion by Argentina.
"Even more concerning would be the prospect of British troops under European command operating in the eastern Ukraine."
A Government spokeswoman said: "Our position is crystal clear that defence is a national, not an EU responsibility and that there is no prospect of that position changing and no prospect of a European army."
Just great! The US government by meddling in the Ukraine has created another COLD WAR and further escalation of aggression.
