The Financial Times reports European governments are discussing a new collective
mechanism to respond to Russian aggression that falls below the threshold for an
armed attack. Some states say existing tools have failed to deter Russia's
hybrid tactics—sabotage, arson and measures to foment instability—and while
views differ on specific responses, an increasing number favors a coordinated
mechanism to act against incidents that would not trigger NATO's Article 5
collective‑defense clause. EU defense commissioner Kubilius said: If we are
facing hybrid warfare, we need hybrid defense…we will study how to define the
instruments we need to be prepared to use. EU defense ministers meet in Brussels
on Monday to consider a Commission proposal for an emergency security pact that
could be triggered to coordinate responses; the mechanism would be similar to
consultations under NATO's Article 4.
