Europe, a Dark Winter awaits you...

Speaking to Euronews, Francken said that Europe needs stronger air defenses, as well as Ukrainian technology to counter Russian jet-powered drones.

“Russia, air attack, air attack, air attack. That is the greatest threat. That is why we need air defense, air defense, air defense,” Francken said.

He said that Europe must increase its stockpiles, production and industrial capacity, as well as speed up procurement and production processes.

“We need larger stockpiles, greater production, increased production capacity and a strong industrial base. Everything has to move faster. In the coming months, there will be more hybrid activities. It will be a dark winter for Europe,” the Belgian minister said.

Francken also said that Russia has, as he claims, 50 years of experience in carrying out hybrid attacks and that Belgium must keep pace with technological developments.

“I don’t want us to have 200,000 drones sitting in storage somewhere, only for us to be unable to use them two months later because they have become obsolete. That is why we have to adapt,” he said.

Francken said that Belgium had underinvested in defense for a long time, but that it has now increased its defense spending.

“We were like the worst student in the NATO classroom. We allocated one percent of gross domestic product (GDP) to defense,” the Belgian minister said, adding that defense spending has since doubled.

Francken said Belgium currently has the highest public debt in the European Union and one of the most difficult budgetary situations, but stressed that the government remains committed to increasing defense spending.

However, he said that allocating five percent of GDP to defense is not realistic for Belgium in the near future.