A new stage in European defense: Europe without the US and the Russian threat under discussion

Significant changes are taking place in the security sphere of Europe: the countries of the continent are no longer relying solely on the United States and are seeking to independently strengthen their defense capabilities. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz shared his thoughts on this in an interview with BBC, reported bbc.com. According to Merz, Europe is forced to allocate large amounts of funds for defense and security against the backdrop of new threats from Russia.

The chancellor emphasized that the peace, freedom, and political stability of Europe and its population are now under serious threat from Russia.

“We are facing a serious threat, and that is Russia. This threat is directed not only against Ukraine, but also against our peace and the political order in Europe,” said the head of the German government.

For this reason, the German government and other leading European countries are significantly increasing their defense budgets. To this end, Merz has even managed to amend the Constitution.

“We are not that strong, our army is not that strong. That is why we are spending a lot on defense,” the German politician said.

Merz also agreed with the criticism from the US authorities that Europe spends too little on its defense. In his opinion, Europe should now take more responsibility for its own security, as US foreign policy is increasingly turning towards Asia.

Recently, the continent has shown a clear trend toward reducing dependence on the US and strengthening mutual cooperation in defense. In particular, the leaders of the UK and Germany recently signed an important agreement that includes mutual assistance obligations in the event of a military attack.

The possible attack by Russia on European countries and new threats to NATO have been widely discussed in recent weeks. Leading experts such as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, head of German intelligence Bruno Kahl, and head of the Munich Security Conference Christoph Heusgen emphasize that Moscow’s aggressive policy is entering a dangerous phase. In their opinion, if Putin achieves complete victory in Ukraine, Europe will face an even greater threat.

“Putin has repeatedly called the collapse of the Soviet Union and Russians being left outside Russia the greatest tragedy of the 20th century. If Putin is not defeated in Ukraine, we should expect him to reach Moldova or the Baltic states,” said Christoph Heusgen.

At the same time, Putin warned that if Russian territory is attacked again with Western weapons, “serious decisions” would be made. The new stage of security cooperation between Europe and the US and the need for joint action against Russian threats have become the main topics on the agenda. Read 'Zamin' on Telegram!