Putin backs idea of forming unified European army

By Serife Cetin and Yusuf Ozcan

PARIS

Russian president on Sunday supported the idea of forming a unified European army.

"Europe is a powerful economic entity and union. For this reason, it is very natural for member countries to want to be independent and sovereign in defense and security," Vladimir Putin told Russia Today in Paris, where he attended a ceremony marking the centenary of the end of the World War I.

"I think this is a positive development in the multilateral world," he added.

Putin’s remarks came days after French president Emmanuel Macron called for the formation of a European army to reduce dependence on the U.S.

The Russian president said that France played an important role in this context and added the unified European army could be an alternative to NATO.

Noting that there was no opportunity for formal bilateral talks with U.S. President Donald Trump in Paris, Putin said that the two leaders will meet in November during summit in Argentina.