Trump’s push spurs European bureaucracy to strengthen security efforts — diplomat

He said this on Espreso TV channel.

“Trump’s kick was the right step toward European and Canadian NATO members. The argument alone was insufficient; a show of force was needed. And Trump managed to do just that—wake up and mobilize European countries that had been directing most of their budgets toward social policies. Since NATO’s founding, security on the European continent has primarily been the responsibility of the United States,” Dzhydzhora remarked.

According to the diplomat, the U.S. statement that Europe should rely more on its own capabilities and not depend solely on America was delivered in an ultimatum-like manner. This form of communication turned out to be the most effective.

“Perhaps another factor was that the former Prime Minister of the Netherlands became NATO Secretary General, and as an experienced politician, he also realizes the insufficient contributions of European countries to the NATO budget. Additionally, France has long been trying to build a European security and defense system, although, in essence, these structures operate within NATO’s framework. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Trump’s statements have prompted the European bureaucracy at the highest level to move in the right security direction,” Dzhydzhora emphasized.

• On Wednesday, March 19, in Brussels, Belgium, the EU Commissioner for Defense Andrius Kubilius and the EU’s chief diplomat Kaja Kallas presented the European Union’s new defense-industrial strategy (White Paper).