The EU agrees to increase military "sovereignty" the day after kowtowing to Trump

BrusselsEuropean allies agreed at the NATO summit on Wednesday the increase in military spending to 5% of the gross domestic product (GDP) imposed by Donald Trump. Despite the fact that this is the most significant rearmament in the history of the European Union and ties the future of the continent's security to the Pentagon, the member states complied without a murmur, with only Pedro Sánchez raising his voice. The following day, however, the leaders themselves agreed to find a way to stop depending on the interests and whims of the current occupant of the White House, and they proposed increasing military "autonomy and sovereignty."

In fact, even if they bow to Trump's demands, the return of the New York tycoon to the White House has already led all member states to agree to stop being at the mercy of the Pentagon, especially in a context of expansionist threat from Russia. Even several leaders of countries with a strongly Atlanticist tradition, such as the Baltic countries or those of Eastern Europe and Germany, insisted on this point. The most outspoken was German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, the conservative, who proclaimed that Europe must achieve "independence" from the United States.

This tone has softened in recent days, as was evident at this week's NATO summit in The Hague. However, the European partners' desire to strengthen their military capabilities remains. "Europe must be more sovereign, more responsible for its own defense, and better equipped to act and confront immediate and future threats and challenges autonomously and in a coordinated manner," reads the text agreed upon at Thursday's European summit.

In these same conclusions, the EU also notes that the continent's security is linked to NATO, but avoids any reference to involving US industry in the massive rearmament of Europe, as Trump intends. It should be remembered that the Republican administration's intention is not limited to forcing an increase in military spending; it also aims for European allies to purchase all this military equipment from the US military industry.

For the moment, however, a significant portion of European states are opposed. Eastern European countries see no problem. when buying American weapons Because they prioritize rapid rearming; but there are governments, such as those of France and Spain, that advocate taking advantage of these expansionary economic policies to revive the community economy and industry.

Therefore, for now, the conclusions agreed this Thursday approve Ursula von der Leyen's plan to finance the rearmament of the European Commission, which does not plan to purchase weapons from the United States. Instead, it is committed to promoting joint arms purchases from more reliable partners, such as the United Kingdom and Canada. This confirms that, despite the fact that the EU is being forced to capitulate to the US, it intends to prepare for the future, stop depending on the Pentagon, and have the strength to confront a new Trump.

European partners once again remember Zelensky.

Zelensky was relegated to the background at the NATO summit, but the EU states have put him back at the center of the European summit as if nothing had happened. While the Ukrainian president was not invited to any of the official meetings on Wednesday, this Thursday he again participated online in the meeting of EU heads of state and government. Furthermore, the conclusions unambiguously maintain support for Ukraine in the fight against Vladimir Putin's regime and call for the approval of further sanctions packages against Moscow.

In fact, diplomatic sources assure that the intention is for the member states to approve the 18th package of sanctions against Russia in the coming hours. These measures aim to put a definitive end to the use of the Nord Stream I and II gas pipelines—one has been destroyed and the other has never been put into operation—that connect the EU with Russia, and to ensure that they cannot be used again in the future. In addition, the bloc wants to expand the list of Russian ghost ships that circumvent European sanctions and import fossil fuels from Russia, and, among other measures, is considering lowering the price cap on crude oil.