EU needs to end its military dependency on the US and arm itself 'to survive,' says Tusk
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The European Union cannot rely on the United States to defend it and must increase military spending and security preparedness to help Ukraine and deter Russia from targeting any more of its neighbors, top EU officials warned on Wednesday. “Ask not of America what it can do for our security. Ask yourselves what we can do for our own security,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, whose country holds the EU presidency, said, paraphrasing a quote from U.S. President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address in 1961.
In an address to EU lawmakers, Tusk urged the 27-nation bloc to “take control” of its own security and to identify its weaknesses. “If Europe is to survive, it must be armed,” he said. Anxiety is mounting that U.S. President Donald Trump might seek to quickly end the war in talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on terms that are unfavorable to Ukraine, or once again refuse to defend European allies who do not boost their military budgets.
“We need to believe again in our power,” Tusk told the assembly, in Strasbourg, France. “We are strong, we are equal to the greatest powers in the world. The only thing we have to do is believe in it.”. Tusk said that his country is spending close to 5% of its gross domestic product on its defense budget, more than any NATO ally including the United States. He urged his European partners to match that rate at least until Russia backs down.
