Germany urges Britain to stop blocking closer EU defence ties
BERLIN- German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen urged Britain on Thursday to stop blocking moves to strengthen defence cooperation among European Union members, saying the efforts were urgently needed to deal with changing threats.
"The biggest resistance is coming from the British," von der Leyen told weekly newspaper Die Zeit. "And there we ask for fairness: Whoever is leaving the EU should not in their last metres block the caravan."
Britain, whose citizens voted in June to quit the EU, has expressed concern together with Poland and the Baltic states that moves to bolster European defence cooperation could weaken the NATO alliance.
