European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed an extensive plan to boost European defense spending by up to 800 billion euros. This initiative, influenced by President Trump's decreasing support for Ukraine, highlights a significant strategic shift amidst escalating global tensions. The proposal includes a 150 billion euro loan program to enhance military capabilities, marking a departure from the EU's traditional stance focused on peace and trade. European leaders are now racing against time to bolster defenses both for immediate aid to Ukraine and long-term security against a threatening Russia.
The plans signal an important policy shift at a tenuous moment, as European leaders panic about Mr. Trump's demands.
While the E.U. has long seen itself as a project built for peace and open trade, the world has abruptly changed around it.
We are in an era of rearmament, Ms. von der Leyen said on Tuesday from Brussels in a statement to the news media.
America's realignment has left Europe racing to help Ukraine in the short term and to ensure that it is prepared to defend itself from a more aggressive Russia.
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