In her interview with Roman-based newspaper Il Messaggero, the Italian defense chief said that these four countries should consider greater cooperation to make sure it happens as soon as possible.
"European defense should be represented by a single unit, both inside and outside NATO. We need the "Defense Schengen" through strengthening the cooperation between Italy, France, Germany and Spain," she said.
Roberta Pinotti also noted that the European defense, which should be strengthened regardless of the attitude of the US, would not only increase the EU's defense capabilities as such, but it would also strengthen NATO, as when these countries act separately within the alliance, they only weaken it.
The idea have been previously voiced by Germany’s defense minister Ursula von der Leyen who urged the European Union to modernize its military defense and security to match NATO’s drive to beef up its own security forces in the wake of the so-called "major Russian build-up."
France, Germany, Italy and Spain have been calling for a common European defense policy after Britain’s vote to quit the bloc.
"The US' refusal to pay for the European defense has put western countries in a very uncertain position," he told Russia's online newspaper Vzglyad.
"None of the European countries will be able to ensure its security on its own. However the entire historic experience only proves that the European countries could never really unite into any military alliances, apart from short-term blocks and even then only with the involvement of Russia," he further explained.
Melkonov also noted that a military alliance implies the existence of a military adversary, which none of the four states has and nobody is going to invent or create such an enemy.
Besides, the four countries have a huge amount of controversy and with the weakening role of the US and NATO, it will snowball even further.
Moreover, he further suggested that the looming crisis could cause the crash of the euro and provoke an economic crisis, and "it is much more dangerous than any attack of the hordes of enemy armies."
"There is too much uncertainty in the modern world. The US should define its role in the common security and economic system. The US has the only soldier, and it is the dollar. If there is no dollar, all the rest becomes secondary," he told the newspaper.
"Europe has never been united. US has bought an expensive European military toy, but it can't afford to support it forever," he finally stated.
Meanwhile Viktor Murakhovsky, Editor-in Chief of Arsenal of the Fatherland journal, recalled that the Europeans have been coming back to the idea of creating their own armed forces since the times of French general and statesman Charles de Gaulle.
The expert also noted that there are different European units which have been created and which are now part of NATO. There are, for example, joint Franco-German units.
All these attempts, he said, remind him of an "empty game." As long as there is a US dominated NATO, there won't be any more or less independent or alternative European military coalition. All the announcements about the creation of the so-called "Defense Schengen" or otherwise united European armed forces are nothing more than "wishful thinking."
He also said that the Europeans have no common threat to unite against.
There is no threat which requires the creation of such an alliance, even though mainstream media regularly generate hysteria about the so-called "Russian threat," he said. European leaders and politicians in fact do not believe in any "Russian," or otherwise, threat to Europe and thus have no intention of allocating any money for the creation of any alliance, he finally stated.
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