While the United States suspended aid to Ukraine and move away from Europe, the Old Continent announces strengthening its military defense in the face of the Russian threat. Can he compete with the army of Vladimir Putin?
“Russia has become a threat to France and Europe.” Emmanuel Macron set the tone during his speech on Wednesday, March 5. The President of the Republic spoke on the eve of an extraordinary summit on the measures to be taken to strengthen European defense. While the United States is moving away from its alliance with Europe, support Ukraine less and approach Russia, the old continent is organized to protect the Ukrainian ally and its own borders of the Russian army
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced a plan of 800 billion euros aimed at “rearm Europe” on Tuesday, March 4. If Europe wishes to strengthen its defense in the face of the evolution of the global context, it has already started the process shortly after the start of the war in Ukraine. Thus, in 2024, 15 of the 27 member countries of the European Union spent more than 2% of their gross domestic product (GDP) in defense, including France (2.1%), in accordance with the objective of the Organization of the North Atlantic Treaty (NATO). Some of these countries intend to go further by granting between 3 and 5% of their GDP to the expenses intended for the defense. Encouraged in the face of the Russian threat, these efforts must make it possible to compete with the arsenal of the Kremlin.
Europe better equipped than Russia?
Defense spending jumped in Europe to reach $ 457 billion in 2024 according to data from The International Institute for Strategic Studies (Iiss) Published in February, an increase of more than 11%. Expenditure on European Union member countries represent more than $ 335 billion. It is much more than Russia which invested $ 145.9 billion in its military means in the same year. The fact remains that in the eyes of national GDP, Russia invests more: 6.7%.
In terms of financial means, Europe seems to have the advantage over Russia, but what about material means? Individually, European countries cannot compete with the Russian army, but when all European forces are combined they surpass the number of Russian weapons and vehicles, both on land equipment (more than 77,000 vehicles for Europe and Ukraine against more than 47,000 for Russia), air equipment (8,400 aircraft against 3,400) and maritime equipment (2,200 ship of Southinfo.
The same observation can be made with regard to military workforce. The Russian army, which benefits from recruitment waves but loses men on the war front in Ukraine, is estimated at 1,320,000 soldiers according to Global Fire Power’s 2025 ranking. It appears as the 5th world army. Opposite, Europe does not have a continental army and no national army is large to compete. Poland and France, which appear in the 25th and 26th place in the ranking, have 202,000 and 200,000 soldiers respectively. But the addition of armies in 27 countries of the European Union makes it possible to obtain a contingent of 1,435,000 soldiers, more than Russia.
More equipped Europe, but less prepared?
If European forces surpass the Russian forces in terms of quantity, this is not enough. Europe which is not engaged in an armed conflict risks being less effective in the face of a Russian army mobilized for three years. On this point, European forces can hope to count on the formation of soldiers in the face of the shortcomings of the Russian troops, sometimes less prepared due to the rapid mobilization and the lack of command frames mentioned by The French Institute of International Relations (IFRI).
As for European military equipment, it could be subject to some complications or restrictions. The strength of Europe is based on the gathering of national forces, but not all of them use the same devices and not all are compatible underlines Southinfo. Another concern that Europe could meet: restrictions imposed by countries providing military equipment like the United States. Sales of arms can be subject to conditions of use thus limiting the strength of the European arsenal.