- cross-posted to:
- europe@lemmy.ml
- cross-posted to:
- europe@lemmy.ml
While French President Emmanuel Macron has talked of the need for “an incredible awakening” and German Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz described Europe as being “five minutes to midnight,” the worry from those close to the discussion is that events are happening more quickly than they can cope with.
“The nightmare scenario is that the U.S. announces a deal soon that accepts most of Russia’s demands and then tells Ukraine and Europe to take it or leave it,” said Malcolm Chalmers, deputy director general at the Royal United Services Institute in London.
And they’re not only scared of the United States. They’re also wary of some of their own. While Thursday’s hastily arranged summit, just days after less formal gatherings in Paris and London, signals an intention to come up with solutions, diplomats are already bracing for a pro-Russia group of leaders led by Hungary’s Victor Orbán derailing the whole thing.
Not sure if that’s true. China+Russia military spending is about on par with NATO when adjusted for PPP. If Europe and the US want to both be able to defend their respective backyards against imperialism, they need to expand their militaries.
Why are you still talking like the US and EU are allies? The EU needs to defend against US imperialism.
I’m talking about the situation in NATO up until now.
The fact that the US is refusing to support the rest of NATO definitely changes things. Europe likely does not have the capacity right now to assist in the Asia-Pacific. If we are talking strictly NATO ex US vs Russia, it is still uncomfortably close. Europe needs to increase defense spending.
The Trump regime currently has their sights on Canada and Greenland, so any defense against Trumpist imperialism will happen there as part of NATO, not the EU.
PPP is difficult with defence spending, especially when nations are running a war economy and recruiting prisoners for free