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UK to Oppose Moves on Creation of EU Army Until Brexit Completed

© AP Photo / Alik KepliczGerman army tanks line up during the course of the NATO Noble Jump exercise on a training range near Swietoszow Zagan, Poland, June 2015. The German military has seen an increase in deployments for exercises in Eastern Europe and on Russia's borders since the start of the Ukrainian crisis in February 2014.
German army tanks line up during the course of the NATO Noble Jump exercise on a training range near Swietoszow Zagan, Poland, June 2015. The German military has seen an increase in deployments for exercises in Eastern Europe and on Russia's borders since the start of the Ukrainian crisis in February 2014. - Sputnik International
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The United Kingdom will continue blocking the creation of a single EU army until all of the Brexit procedures are completed and it is no longer a member of the union, British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said.

Detachment of the 291st Franco-German Brigade in Strasbourg Republic Square during the parade of July 13, 2013 - Sputnik International
European Army a 'Political Challenge to Security Architecture of Western World'
MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Britain will veto measures to build an EU army for as long as it remains a member of the union, Fallon warned as cited by The Times on Saturday.

Fallon’s comments came after the Friday unofficial EU summit in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, that the United Kingdom was not invited to.

According to The Times, France and Germany have come up with a timetable for the creation of a "common [EU] military force" and the European Commission is expected to present relevant proposals in December. An agreement on the issue is expected to be reached next summer.

The plans to merge the existing defense structures of the EU member states into a single army have been under discussion for years but never came to existence, partly due to the opposition from the United Kingdom, which has advocated that NATO should ensure the bloc's security. The country's decision to exit the European Union has revived the talks.

Picture taken on February 26, 2015 shows armored fighting vehicles IAV Stryker of the US Cavalry Regiment 2nd subdivision during training with Latvian an Canadian soldiers at the Adazi military training area in Latvia - Sputnik International
US to 'Do Its Utmost' to Hinder Set-Up of Independent European Army
On June 23, the United Kingdom held a referendum to determine whether or not the country should leave the European Union. According to the final results, 51.9 percent of voters, or 17.4 million people, decided to support Brexit, while about 16.1 million opposed it.

Earlier this week, UK Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union David Davis said that Article 50, which gives start to the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union, would not be triggered until the Department for Exiting the European Union had reached its full working capacity.

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