Europe's plan to respond to Trump's unilateral actions in the Ukraine war
European leaders have decided to take further steps to develop a strategy for an independent and self-reliant defense plan following the unilateral stance and decision taken by the United States regarding the war in Ukraine.
Mar 6, 2025 - 13:47
European leaders have decided to take further steps to develop a strategy for an independent and self-reliant defense plan following the unilateral stance and decision taken by the United States regarding the war in Ukraine.
In the latest move, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has launched a massive $840 billion plan to strengthen the defense sector across the continent. The plan, dubbed "Armoring Europe," was announced by von der Leyen hours after US President Donald Trump decided to halt all military aid to Ukraine.
According to the plan, EU member states will be given the opportunity to borrow from a €150 billion fund for investment in defense issues. The President of the European Commission said that the "Reinforcing Europe with Armaments" plan will focus on air defense, artillery ammunition, artillery systems, drones, anti-aircraft weapons and other military sectors.
Ursula von der Leyen
Ukraine, followed by the European Union, is the first and biggest victim of Trump's unilateral decision-making and his America First policy. The economic, political and security relationship between Europe and the United States has been intertwined and interdependent for 80 years now. And that is why Trump's policies regarding the Ukraine war have caused a great upheaval in Europe. Trump sidelined Ukraine and Europe in the negotiations with Russia to find a solution to the Ukraine war. The US President understands very well that Ukraine and Europe are not capable of confronting Russia without the support of his country. On the other hand, Trump is looking for a quick solution to the Ukraine war in order to address America's political, security and economic priorities. And that is why he has reached the decision to make a deal with Putin. And in order to reach an agreement with Russia, Moscow's expectations in Ukraine must also be taken into account at the negotiating table.
The US president, who is breaking taboos, says that neither Ukraine nor European governments have the power to end the war in Ukraine. From the perspective of Ukraine and European governments, Trump's policy is tantamount to rewarding an aggressor and aggressor.
However, the views of European governments are of no importance to Trump. And that is why when Ukrainian President Zelensky went to Washington to reach an agreement with Trump on the US share of Ukraine's natural resources in exchange for security guarantees after reaching a settlement with Russia, he was met with a storm of harsh and derogatory statements from Trump and his vice president, Vance. Two days after Zelensky's tense and explosive meeting with Trump, European leaders welcomed and embraced Zelensky at a summit in London, England.
From left: Zelensky, Starmer and Macron at the London meeting. Trump in the White House lobby
The magazine Foreign Affairs has published an article explaining that the tense meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump and his Vice President JD Vance held on February 28 at the White House has cast a dark cloud over the Western alliance. By announcing that it has ended its support for Ukraine, the Trump administration has not only shaken Kiev, but also undermined some of the fundamental assumptions that have shaped the transatlantic relationship since World War II.
After the introduction, the magazine continued: "A major rift has emerged in the trust between the two sides of the Atlantic; a rift that is bad for Washington's international power and its acceptance as a major power; and a major disaster for the future cohesion of the two sides of the Atlantic and for the survival of NATO. The issue that European countries are currently facing is that the Trump administration has caused a fundamental crisis in the trust they had in the United States. For the first time, European leaders are unsure whether the United States is truly committed to NATO or not, and to its leadership role in the organization."
In the past 80 years, Europe has never lost its trust in the United States to the extent that it is now. Ever since NATO was founded, there has also been the idea of creating a European security alliance; and France was at the forefront of this movement, to the point that in 1966, its president Charles de Gaulle withdrew from the military wing of NATO so that Paris would not be under the American security umbrella. However, the United States and the transatlantic movement led by Britain opposed the establishment of such an independent and autonomous European security alliance. Currently, European governments are talking more seriously and insistently than in the past about the need for an independent security alliance for Europe.
French President Emmanuel Macron has stressed in an interview with the Figaro newspaper: "Europeans can no longer rely on NATO as they did in the past. Trump's position has weakened NATO." Macron has added: "We need 10 years of major domestic and European investments to overcome the American deficit".../
