Posted on 02/02/2025 9:38:33 PM PST by ransomnote
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago convinced Europe’s leaders that they needed to spend more money on defense. On Monday, leaders from across the European Union and Britain will meet in Brussels to debate a vexing question: how to pay for it.
It is a concern made more acute by President Trump’s return to the White House.
The United States is the largest military funder of Ukraine’s war effort, but Mr. Trump has suggested he will rapidly withdraw U.S. financial and military support and leave it to the Europeans. He has also insisted that NATO nations ramp up defense outlays to 5 percent of their annual economic output, a drastic increase from the 3 percent or 3.5 percent NATO plans to make its goal at its next summit meeting this summer.
The United States itself spends only about 3.4 percent of gross domestic product on defense.
With the war, the European Union, which was founded on free trade and termed itself a “peace project,” has become more committed to deterrence and defense. It is now scrambling to expand its defense industries and make spending more efficient and collaborative. Prime Minister Keir Starmer of Britain will attend Monday’s gathering, the first time since Britain left the European Union that a British leader has met with the 27 leaders of the bloc in Brussels.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
They’ve been waiting for an excuse to build up their “defenses” so they can do a repeat of 1939.
Duh. That’s what Trump’s been saying.
Take some responsibility for yourself too.
Europe is done. Two big mistakes. Socialism. Plus they’ve allowed a foreign invader to take over.
America is sliding the same way but hopefully we can reverse it and put a stake in its heart.
Go trump!
Well if they’re (EU) going to be a big noise in the future, they better do a damsite better job than the did in 1939. Unless Germany is going to carry them. They take a Frenchman to war they might as well take a violin deer hunting.
Except for massive US aid to Ukraine, the repeat of 1939 was underway, with Putin as the aggressor and Ukraine and the rest of Europe playing the role of unprepared and militarily feckless Vichy France. Instead of taking advantage of Ukraine’s resistance for time to rearm, the dopes who run Europe assured themselves that they needed to do nothing because the Americans would keep the Russians in check. Now the Europeans are scrambling.
Sorry NYT. Cute headline but there is nothing uncertain about Trump
The idiots should have been doing that all along, but they never even did it after two World Wars.
Bill Clinton talked the Ukes out of their nukes faster than a groupie outa her underwear. If they had them Vlad wouldn’t have moved on them no matter how much Biden jabbed him to do it. IMO
“Russia’s full-scale invasion” there’s that same phrase again. It wasn’t a full scale invasion or Kiev would look like Gaza city.
So, Europe was counting on Biden? They are over, if they don’t straighten up.
Given the Chernobyl disaster it’s a good thing Ukraine doesn’t have nukes.
That’s how ignorant they are.
Doesn’t look good, Jim. More people should lessen their time with msm and look for alternates like this one about what’s going on.
https://youtu.be/kwWur61HV-Q?si=ZzrmwwsaEYwS7G3-
Europe has a lot of catching up to do. Not just in terms of military expenditure, but in terms of the fighting spirit of its people.
The Poland leads the way in both, with robust military expenditure and development of a militia-like territorial defense force.
Expenditure-wise, many European countries shrank their military forces at the end of the Cold War; and, now have to acquire expensive weapons systems. This requires capital investment for a period of time beyond the NATO commitment of 2 percent of GDP.
There’s another reason why ALL the European countries must man up. If only Germany were to man up, it could dominate Europe. While we criticize Germany for going pacifist on us, it wasn’t so long ago that Germany’s great strength was the main threat in Europe. To maintain balance, we need the UK, France, Italy, Spain, etc., to be strong.
The US gives Ukraine money. Biden goads the Russians into a war with Ukraine. We sell arms to Ukraine and they pay us with our money. It’s a big effing money laundering machine for Biden, certain politicians, the military industrial complex and we tax payers foot the bill. This is treason and BS of the highest order. IMO.
1939 ... do you mean when Germany and Russia were allies?
hey McGruff, Kyiv (Ukrainian spelling) and many other cities in Ukraine LOOK LIKE Gaza, as did Grozny after the Second Chechen War.
And arrogant.
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