A full-scale conflict in Europe is “no longer a fantasy” and Europeans must find new ways to financially prepare for a potentially wider war on the continent, the EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell warned on Tuesday (9 April).

“War is certainly looming around us, and a high-intensity, conventional war in Europe is no longer a fantasy'', Borrell said in a speech at an economic forum in Brussels.

''Russia threatens Europe'' through its war in Ukraine and hybrid attacks on EU member states, he added.

''It the war is not going to start tomorrow, but we cannot deny reality,'' he said in the most explicit comments to date.