L’UE non è riuscita a Trump a prova di Europa e ora deve affrontare l’umiliazione sull’Ucraina

Fair.

But more fundamental and inconvenient is the idea that the EU in particular is actually not able to the hero it claims it can be. That Europe is just not unitable by its nature. And to expect it to come up with a unified defence is outside the abilities of this particular collection of states. Just like so many other unified positions in so many other outward facing areas. And the reason why there is no united Europe at this point in history is that the countries are too different and their interests are too different.

From 2016 European leaders were “we have to do…” time and again, but they never did anything but talk and now surprised that the thing that was spoken about over and over, the thing that was going to happen, happened…and they act surprised? Or not surprised but disappointed?

Come on, every peasant in the countries saw this coming, the intelligence agencies did what? Sat on their thumb bemoaning “it probably won’t happen”

Who cares about humiliation. Just make sure this never happens again by pumping an ungodly sum in the European defense industry.

Interesting excerpt from the article:

“As Europe now faces the challenge of being able to put a peacekeeping force into the field, the former MI6 chief Alex Younger admits Europe simply does not have the capabilities to operate without the US. Volodymyr Zelenskyy said as much in his Guardian interview when he said European security guarantees without the help of the US were worthless”

This is also from [Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2025-02-12/trump-s-new-plan-to-end-the-russia-ukraine-war-might-break-europe):

“Russia has a significant manpower advantage over Europe and its war economy can churn out shells and other military equipment at a rate that exceeds the army’s needs for the front line in Ukraine, according to one senior European official.”

It still has not dawned to many people how complacent Europe is and how it is utterly dependant on American support. Now when you have a president tearing up the existing rule-based liberal order, Europe shows its vulnerability and inability to adapt quickly.

People can easily say Europe just needs to rearm. But, as aptly summarised by Bloomberg, “to mobilize resources on the scale required, European governments would need to radically rethink how they structure their budgets, to work with executives to re-engineer their defense industries, and, almost certainly, agree to joint debt issuance. That will require a level of political will, far-sighted thinking and sacrifice that many EU members have so far failed to demonstrate, particularly in western Europe, where some still see the war as a far-off problem. Berlin, Rome and Paris have also resisted efforts to seize some $300 billion of frozen Russian central bank assets and use that money to help Ukraine.

It’s going to mean making difficult choices about spending on health, education and welfare. And those decisions will be taken against a backdrop of popular unrest that has been fueled, at least on the margins, by the Kremlin.”

And just wait until Trump initiates a global trade war that will cause a global economic downturn. That will empower national populists like Le Pen, Wilders, Weidel, and Farage. Democracy turns out to be the Achilles heel of European countries; even if Europe were to start rearming massively now, that would be meaningless if Marine Le Pen becomes President in 2027. If Marine Le Pen manages to achieve her wet dream of leaving the EU and Euro, I don’t see the EU surviving past 2030.

What… We were trying to do this at some point? I thought that our political and company leadership just decided to *think about the economy* which means that they’ll give in to demands on Putin and Trump in the fear of economic impacts.

Defaitism, fight back instead.

For years, the Europe has been hiding behind US, while buying cheap fuels from Russia(fueling this beast), and at the same time de-industralised themselves and move the manufacturing power to China, look what have left Europe ?

A crippling continent that can only promote diversity and green idelogy, but with nothing to stand against Russia, even today France and Germany are still buying from Russia and fueling the war machine. China is stealing technology day and night !

But in trading EU is one of the most protected trading partner, it prevents the import of US goods, drain US military power and use the saved money to buy Russian fuel, and sells the pollution to China

Over 30 countries in NATO and all of their % combine together still cant match US in NATO’s contribution. Look at Spain and Portugal, they paid almost nothing , without US, they will cease to exist ! And yet, they are in so much debt

I do not agree with what that drunk defence sec said but he is right that US has NOT betrayed Ukraine, it is the western Europe has failed, betrayed and backstabbed its Eastern brother

Wake up, what are you guys doing ?

The EU need to fund this through Ioans. Don’t see a war with Russia as serious, but better safe than sorry. If war breaks out, then all the green agenda, support immigrants etc. is completely irrelevant for the time.

It’s great that the EU is cool headed, but now is really the time to drop diplomacy beyond first talks, and arm up.

> “When you ask those guys, why can’t you spend more on national security, their argument is because it would require us to make cuts to welfare programs, to unemployment benefits, to being able to retire at 59 and all these other things,” Rubio said.

This is it…. right here … The rift across the Atlantic … Most of Europe ( excluding Eastern Europe) never took it’s defense seriously, because it has a large friend waiting in the shadows to help if there was ever a need.

American presidents have been asking for years for Europe to do more.

Also, for years before the Ukraine war, Europeans would shit on Americans for spending on defense while not having as robust of social programs. The Irony was that it was that same American spending that was helping Europe keep its social programs.

Put yourselves in an Americans shoe for once. Can you not relate to how annoying that would be? Can you see how we got here?

America went from asking nicely for a couple decades to being incredibly blunt and pretty much pulling the rug at the worst time.

Even a country like the UK who supposedly spends 2% of GDP on military is telling a white lie. They aren’t actually spending that on military, they add their intelligence services into “defense” to make the 2% number on paper.

That’s a fairly mild way of putting it… (judging by the title)

Failed, just jumping the gun….. let’s, you know…. wait a bit, things are moving fast and strategically important moves are in place, you have seen action, it’s all wordy words.

News sucks so much.

There needs to be a European equivalent to an executive order, to actually make something happen.