The writers are the president of France and chancellor of Germany
As we head for the Nato summit in The Hague, turmoil is all around us: war rages, norms erode and old certainties are challenged. In these testing times, Germany and France — together with our European and transatlantic friends and allies — stand united and strong, to defend our common values as well as the freedom and security of our citizens.
The main source of instability for Europe comes from Russia, which has been waging an imperialist war, with its invasions of Georgia in 2008, then of Crimea and Donbas in 2014, then the whole of Ukraine in 2022. Vladimir Putin’s objective is to undermine European security to Moscow’s advantage. There is a methodical attempt on the part of Russia to exercise coercive tutelage over its neighbours, to seek to destabilise European countries and to challenge the global order. We cannot accept it, because our aim is to protect and preserve peace on our continent.