MEP Elmar Brok calls for stronger diplomatic action on EU neighbourhood instability and gives his thoughts on the newly elected European Council and foreign affairs chiefs.

Elmar Brok: EU must put teeth into foreign security action

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Elmar Brok, hello.  August was a difficult month for you.

But now we have two new EU leaders:  Donald Tusk and Federica Mogherini.

Your reaction as Chairman  of the Committee on Foreign Affairs?

I'm very happy that Donald Tusk  has been elected.

I think he's the right choice because it's  a message to the East in particular

that a Polish Head of Government has  become President of the European Council,

which shows that the EU is growing  together with the new Member States.

And he is a successful  Head of Government.

Regarding Ms Mogherini we need to have  a hearing in the European Parliament.

and hope that with her  the EU's Foreign and Security policy,

which is not in a satisfactory state,  will be improved.

This will be the test of the hearing  we will have with her.

It's definitely not a satisfactory state.

Ms Mogherini already said  that Russia is an important player

but no longer a strategic partner.  What's your view?

I think she's right. A state that attacks  another European state can't be a partner.

We hope that leaders in Moscow  will return to reason

and that we'll find a diplomatic solution

as it is actually both in our  and in their very interest to cooperate.

But of course the freedom  of Ukraine takes precedence.

You mentioned the term reason. Regarding  Putin, are his actions reasonable?

The UN has already counted 2,600 deaths.

Annexing the area of another  country severely violates international law,

as it happened with Crimea and is now  obviously happening in East Ukraine,

and destabilising the area with military  means is certainly not reasonable.

But I hope they will understand  that the price is also too high for Russia

and that it's better  to find a peaceful and reasonable solution.

But there's more and more disappointment  in Ukraine because the EU could do more.

Many say that for the first time they used  a European flag for a revolution,

that it was the symbol of their revolution,  but that the EU hasn't done much.

The weapons are going to Russia  and not Ukraine.

The EU no longer supplies Russia  with arms.

We still help with many means  via the OSCE, with many economic ones.

The EU has already provided  11 billion euros.

We have also increased our humanitarian  aid to support the population there.

I think there's a clear commitment  from the EU in favour of Ukraine.

But entering into war with Russia  would be a matter for NATO

How far do you and your  committee in the Parliament want to go?

It is said there will be sanctions.  You briefly mentioned the Third World War.

Is this risk the reason why  the EU doesn't go any further?

I think we only have a defence commitment  towards NATO member countries.

We have to consider if we should enter into  a direct military conflict with Russia

We are aware that now,  100 years after World War I,

we should avoid automatisms for  warfare, automatisms that lead to war.

That's why we have to make every effort  to find a political, diplomatic solution

without military means, but with painful  means such as economic sanctions.

Winter is coming up in a couple of months.

Countries such as Slovakia  speak with different tones now.

But do you think the EU unanimously works  against Russia and in favour of Ukraine?

Many countries may withdraw as soon as it  comes to gas supplies in winter.

In the next few weeks  we will have to discuss how far we can go.

But I think every EU country has to  understand that we're at a turning point.

Since last week it's been clear that  Russia enters Ukraine with it's own unions

and that we have to stand together  to avoid getting ourselves into trouble.

Ensuring peace for us and our neighbours  is more important than doing business

and that's why we have to ensure solidarity  with the supply within the EU during winter.

So does the EU  speak with one voice or not?

Until now Europe has spoken  with one voice,

but sometimes the discussions  were too long.

I think we'll also speak with one  voice regarding this new form of sanctions.

Iraq, Syria and the Islamic State are  issues that are even more delicate.

How did you deal with these issues  in August?

You were clearly working on them  during this period.

How did you react?  What should have been done?

If you also consider what happened  in Germany in August...

Here it's about saving human lives.  There's a murderous troop out there

that cruelly kills representatives of other  religions and positions, even in the Islam.

So in the first place  it's about saving people

and providing humanitarian aid  to those who have been saved.

I think here we have to provide military aid  with arms transfers

to immediately stop this killing  in form of a genocide.