The creation of a European army would be a dangerous move and insult the United States, Nigel Farage, former leader of the right-wing populist UK Independence Party (UKIP), told the radio program LBC (Leading Britain's Conversation).
Addressing Emmanuel Macron's recent remarks about the necessity of a "real European army", Farage argued that all this echoes comments by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, "who said not too long ago deference to NATO can no longer be used as a convenient alibi to argue against greater European efforts."
READ MORE: UK Lawmaker Regards Possibility of EU Army Creation as 'Disaster'
"Do you know something, they've been lying to us for 50 years about the true intentions of the European Union. These people really worry me. I think a European army is very dangerous. What an insult, and what a worry this is for those that believe in cooperation with America and others in NATO," Farage pointed out.
His comments came after Macron told the French radio station Europe 1 that the EU should protect itself "with respect to China, Russia and even the United States of America."
"We need a Europe which defends itself better alone, without just depending on the United States. We will not protect the Europeans unless we decide to have a true European army," Macron pointed out.
READ MORE: Why NATO Chief Maintains 'There-Could-Be-Only-One' Stance on Calls for EU Army
In this vein, he called the EU and its security "the main victim" of Washington's recent decision to scrap the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty) with Russia.
The idea of a single EU army has been in the air for several years. Since 2013, Berlin has been overseeing efforts towards closer EU defense integration through the Framework Nations Concept, which stipulates that Germany share its troops and capabilities with other European countries.