Frank Gardner

Europe has had a bit of a cold shower after the Munich Security Conference, where they have woken up to the fact that this administration in Washington, the Trump presidency, is no longer going to provide the automatic security blanket that Europe has enjoyed. oder manche würden sagen, für die letzten 80 Jahre, seit der Zweiten Weltkrieg. Es wird mehr für seine eigene Verteidigung geben.

Und das ist ein wirklicher politischer Hotpotato jetzt, weil die USA sagen, dass NATO-Betriebe bis zu 5% ihrer GDP, ihrer nationalen Werte, Das wird wirklich hart sein. Auch Amerika spart nur 3,3, 3,4 Prozent. Länder wie Spanien sparen nur 1,6 Prozent. Und es kommt ein Zeitpunkt, in dem es große Anforderungen auf Gesundheit, auf Wohlfahrt, auf Straßenbau, Krankenhäuser, Schulen gibt.

Und das ist ein wirklicher politischer Hotpotato jetzt, weil die USA sagen, dass NATO-Betriebe bis zu 5% ihrer GDP, ihrer nationalen Werte, Das wird wirklich hart sein. Auch Amerika spart nur 3,3, 3,4 Prozent. Länder wie Spanien sparen nur 1,6 Prozent. Und es kommt ein Zeitpunkt, in dem es große Anforderungen auf Gesundheit, auf Wohlfahrt, auf Straßenbau, Krankenhäuser, Schulen gibt.

Und das ist ein wirklicher politischer Hotpotato jetzt, weil die USA sagen, dass NATO-Betriebe bis zu 5% ihrer GDP, ihrer nationalen Werte, Das wird wirklich hart sein. Auch Amerika spart nur 3,3, 3,4 Prozent. Länder wie Spanien sparen nur 1,6 Prozent. Und es kommt ein Zeitpunkt, in dem es große Anforderungen auf Gesundheit, auf Wohlfahrt, auf Straßenbau, Krankenhäuser, Schulen gibt.

All die täglichen Dinge, auf die die Regierungen den Geld sparen sollten. Es wäre viel besser, wenn es keine Bedrohung von Moskau gäbe. But there is, and Europe's defenses are run down. They are decrepit and not able, you know, the armories have been emptied out to support Ukraine.

All die täglichen Dinge, auf die die Regierungen den Geld sparen sollten. Es wäre viel besser, wenn es keine Bedrohung von Moskau gäbe. But there is, and Europe's defenses are run down. They are decrepit and not able, you know, the armories have been emptied out to support Ukraine.

All die täglichen Dinge, auf die die Regierungen den Geld sparen sollten. Es wäre viel besser, wenn es keine Bedrohung von Moskau gäbe. But there is, and Europe's defenses are run down. They are decrepit and not able, you know, the armories have been emptied out to support Ukraine.

If there was a war tomorrow, a conventional war in Europe, Britain's army would run out of ammunition in less than two weeks. And the numbers are tiny. So there is a big move. I've just recently been in Berlin covering the Bundestag, the German Parliament vote to lift, to remove the brakes on defense spending. So potentially spending hundreds of billions of euros on defense.

If there was a war tomorrow, a conventional war in Europe, Britain's army would run out of ammunition in less than two weeks. And the numbers are tiny. So there is a big move. I've just recently been in Berlin covering the Bundestag, the German Parliament vote to lift, to remove the brakes on defense spending. So potentially spending hundreds of billions of euros on defense.

If there was a war tomorrow, a conventional war in Europe, Britain's army would run out of ammunition in less than two weeks. And the numbers are tiny. So there is a big move. I've just recently been in Berlin covering the Bundestag, the German Parliament vote to lift, to remove the brakes on defense spending. So potentially spending hundreds of billions of euros on defense.

They don't have the technical capability that the Americans have. And so even though you can pour money into European defense, they are still many, many years behind some of the capabilities that the Americans have. So the idea that Europe can do this divorced from the US is not realistic. But it's hard to tell exactly what President Trump wants.

They don't have the technical capability that the Americans have. And so even though you can pour money into European defense, they are still many, many years behind some of the capabilities that the Americans have. So the idea that Europe can do this divorced from the US is not realistic. But it's hard to tell exactly what President Trump wants.

They don't have the technical capability that the Americans have. And so even though you can pour money into European defense, they are still many, many years behind some of the capabilities that the Americans have. So the idea that Europe can do this divorced from the US is not realistic. But it's hard to tell exactly what President Trump wants.

One moment he's saying, Europe, you've got to spend more on your defense. Well, slapping a load of tariffs on Europe and hurting European economies is not exactly going to enable that defensive build-up.

One moment he's saying, Europe, you've got to spend more on your defense. Well, slapping a load of tariffs on Europe and hurting European economies is not exactly going to enable that defensive build-up.

One moment he's saying, Europe, you've got to spend more on your defense. Well, slapping a load of tariffs on Europe and hurting European economies is not exactly going to enable that defensive build-up.

There are two reasons, and Vitaly has mentioned one of them. Moscow is adamant that it won't accept NATO-member troops in Ukraine, whatever badge or beret they're wearing. Secondly, those countries that have signed up to it, in theory, are saying, yeah, but that's conditional on a US backstop, a US security guarantee, which the US is not prepared so far to commit.

There are two reasons, and Vitaly has mentioned one of them. Moscow is adamant that it won't accept NATO-member troops in Ukraine, whatever badge or beret they're wearing. Secondly, those countries that have signed up to it, in theory, are saying, yeah, but that's conditional on a US backstop, a US security guarantee, which the US is not prepared so far to commit.

There are two reasons, and Vitaly has mentioned one of them. Moscow is adamant that it won't accept NATO-member troops in Ukraine, whatever badge or beret they're wearing. Secondly, those countries that have signed up to it, in theory, are saying, yeah, but that's conditional on a US backstop, a US security guarantee, which the US is not prepared so far to commit.

So I think the most we can hope for is some kind of maritime policing in the Black Sea. and possibly air patrols based in Poland and Romania. But, you know, you do not want to have a situation where, let's say, a small unit of Russian tanks advances a few kilometers into Zaporizhia Oblast and French Rafale aircraft fire on them and suddenly you've got World War III.