European leaders have gathered in Budapest in a situation that reminds of the times of a few years ago.
In 2017, the President of the United States Donald Trump disrupted a meeting of NATO leaders in Brussels by threatening to leave in the middle of the meeting. At the time, it was not clear whether Trump was leaving all of NATO or just the meeting.
At that time, the European NATO countries were also arguing with each other.
In 2019, the President of France Emmanuel Macron called the military alliance brain dead because the countries of Europe did not realize that they had to be able to defend themselves without the United States.
Now Trump has been elected president again and the leaders of European countries are thinking about future moves.
The leaders of the European political community will meet today, Thursday, in Budapest. The informal community includes around 50 European countries. On Friday, it’s time for an informal summit of EU leaders.
Macron: Do we want to read history written by others?
At the meeting of the political community and the informal meeting of the EU leaders, the leaders try to agree on how the continent will fare in the intensifying economic and geopolitical competition.
The European Union claims to be more united than ever, but the leaders themselves don’t seem to believe this.
– Do we want to read history written by others – the wars started by Putin, the American elections, the technical and commercial choices of the Chinese, French President Emmanuel Macron said at the meeting.
Macron is once again making Europe stand his ground.
– There are vegetarians and meat eaters in the world. If we decide to continue as vegetarians, the carnivores will win and we will become their marketplace, Macron said.
Macron suggests that Europe should even become omnivorous in order to be able to defend itself.
Von der Leyen: Big neighbors must not bully others
Trump’s ascension to the presidency horrified European leaders beforehand in a situation where Russia is waging a war of aggression in Ukraine.
– We have prepared for this as the EU. We have known that we have to take a bigger responsibility for defense and supporting Ukraine. Now it’s coming true. We must act now, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said as he arrived at the meeting.
Donald Trump’s speeches about a quick end to the war in Ukraine have caused concern.
The leaders of the European countries repeated when they arrived at the meeting that Ukraine must decide on its own peace, and that peace must comply with the UN Charter. This means that Ukraine must be independent and sovereign and have internationally recognized borders.
The NATO countries outlined in the summer that they will never recognize the occupied territories as part of Russia.
– We are on your side, and we have not changed our mind, President of the European Council Charles Michel messaged Ukraine.
– It is in our interest that autocrats are not in power and that the rule of law is valid. And our message is clear: big neighbors must not bully others, President of the European Union Commission Ursula von der Leyen quoth.
Rutte: I look forward to navigating with Trump
Europe is now trying to convince the US that supporting Ukraine is in the interest of the US, because it is about a much bigger issue. Russia cooperates with North Korea, Iran and China, and it can change the world order.
Secretary General of NATO Mark Rutten according to which Russia gives technology to North Korea, which is participating in the war, as a gift, which makes the world more and more dangerous.
– Russia gives the latest missile technology to North Korea. This is a threat to the United States and Europe, but also to partners in the Pacific region, Rutte said when he came to the meeting.
He said he looks forward to planning with Trump how NATO will navigate together in this situation.
Trump and the “two percent club”
Trump’s blackmail and threats in defense spending last season produced results, and many countries have put more money into defense. The situation has changed since 2019, when Trump convened the “two percent club” at the London summit. In 2014, NATO set a goal for its members to spend two percent of their national product on defense.
– Trump invited the two percent countries to the club for lunch. There were six or seven of us then. Now there are more than twenty of us, President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda recalled when he arrived at the meeting.
Europe has had time to improve its defense, but so far the defense industry has not been made to produce enough new goods. More than half of Ukraine’s arms aid comes from Europe, but decision-making has been difficult.
In France, a weak government, as well as in Germany, where elections are also coming up. The situation in Germany in particular is making the rest of Europe nervous. When coming to the meeting, many prime ministers were careful not to comment on German politics and said that in democracies elections come and go.
The Prime Minister of Finland, on the other hand, hoped that Germany would have a new government in the spring. According to Orpo, it has been known that it is difficult within the German government, and that is why it is a good thing to deal with the situation quickly.