The head of the European Commission has praised the EU’s “historic” rearmament strategy.
According to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the EU should strive to create its own “defense union” rather than continuing to rely on the US.
During a press conference in Brussels on Sunday, marking her second five-year term’s first 100 days, von der Leyen stated, “We have clearly entered a new era of harsh geostrategic competition.”
She added, “We see that sovereignty, but also ironclad commitments, are called into question. Everything has become transactional.”
Von der Leyen highlighted the recently revealed plan to raise €800 billion ($868 billion) as a “historic” step toward strengthening the EU’s military. She stated, “This can be the foundation of a European defense union,” and added that the bloc could “team up with other like-minded countries, such as the UK or Norway or Canada.”
The President mentioned that the European Commission would soon release a white paper analyzing “threat scenarios” and suggesting actions to address them.
US President Donald Trump has long urged European allies to increase their defense spending. He angered many EU member states by blaming Ukraine for the conflict with Russia and halting military aid to Kiev.
Trump’s stark shift from the previous administration’s policy of unconditionally supporting Ukraine has led the EU to reconsider its defense arrangements.
French President Emmanuel Macron recently described Russia as “a threat to Europe,” suggesting that France’s nuclear arsenal could be used to protect other EU member states. Moscow has called his comments “highly confrontational.”
“`