this post was submitted on 18 Feb 2025
791 points (98.9% liked)

World News

41184 readers
3465 users here now

A community for discussing events around the World

Rules:

Similarly, if you see posts along these lines, do not engage. Report them, block them, and live a happier life than they do. We see too many slapfights that boil down to "Mom! He's bugging me!" and "I'm not touching you!" Going forward, slapfights will result in removed comments and temp bans to cool off.

We ask that the users report any comment or post that violate the rules, to use critical thinking when reading, posting or commenting. Users that post off-topic spam, advocate violence, have multiple comments or posts removed, weaponize reports or violate the code of conduct will be banned.

All posts and comments will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis. This means that some content that violates the rules may be allowed, while other content that does not violate the rules may be removed. The moderators retain the right to remove any content and ban users.


Lemmy World Partners

News [email protected]

Politics [email protected]

World Politics [email protected]


Recommendations

For Firefox users, there is media bias / propaganda / fact check plugin.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/media-bias-fact-check/

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

Summary

European officials are preparing a multibillion-dollar defense package to bolster regional security and support Ukraine, announced by German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock at the Munich Security Conference.

The package, potentially valued up to 700 billion euros, will fund military training, arms deliveries, and security guarantees amid concerns over Russian aggression and diminishing U.S. contributions to NATO.

The move follows calls for Europe to boost its own defense spending while U.S.-Russian talks, which exclude Ukraine and Europe, on ending the Ukraine conflict continue.

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 85 points 3 days ago (7 children)

We (EU) should have unleashed our defense industry 3 years ago. Hopefully, the US MIC received the message, their profits are going to sink unless the orange turd starts to provide military aid to fucking Russia.

[–] [email protected] 36 points 3 days ago (2 children)

I am an American and I am willing to endure the pain caused by the rest of the world telling our orange turd to fuck off. Please do it. Please make it so incredibly painful that even those who love Orange Turd will start to smell it and reject it. Make it sooo sooo bitter!

[–] [email protected] 14 points 2 days ago (1 children)

MAGA cultists will gladly eat up all the shit that’s served to them, and even gleefully ask for more of they think there’s even a passing chance that a Dem/liberal/leftie would smell their breath.

The US willing descent towards Gilead has been horrific to watch, as an outsider.

The sooner the rest of the civilised world decouples from that insanity, and hopefully bands together around the common ideals that the US used to (at least pretend to) represent - the better.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 days ago (2 children)

The sooner the rest of the civilised world decouples from that insanity, and hopefully bands together around the common ideals that the US used to (at least pretend to) represent - the better.

The problem is that I feel the rest of the civilized world is going down the same path, and is just several big steps behind...

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)

That well may be the case, all we can do is hope that the rest of the world can bulwark against the rise of Fascism long enough to watch it fail in the US - at which point, it should hopefully diminish its allure.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) (1 children)

That's true. Much like Brexit in the UK stopped other countries' appetite for their own brexits.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago

Trump could literally start world war 3 and his supporters would still back him.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 3 days ago (3 children)

Hey I'm American and I'm all for EU paying for the war in perpetuity and for our mic sinking all the way to the bottom on Mariana trench.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 days ago (5 children)

In a way, it's what I was hoping would happen. The US backs off its own defense spending and stops acting like the world police force. The flip side of that is that Europe and the rest of the world picks up their own defense.

What I had in mind as an end game is that the US would be at a table of equals. That's not at all what this is.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 days ago (1 children)

What the realistically means is Europe will be starting it's nuclear weapon programs in earnest again. France and the UK have a handful, but it'll need a lot more to be an actual deterrent for Russia.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 days ago

Russia only cares about Moscow and st Petersburg. Britain and France have more than enough to turn those two cities into glowing glass craters.

load more comments (4 replies)
load more comments (4 replies)
[–] [email protected] 73 points 3 days ago (1 children)

This is the best thing about a Donald Trump presidency: sometimes good things happen by accident, and it's definitely a good thing for the EU to be depending less on the US.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Same thing that happened with Canada. This man is so stupid it's coming full circle

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 133 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Thank you, Europe. God, let this be what Ukraine needs.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 days ago

This is also what Europe needs. Europe needs to seriously increase their domestic military manufacturing capabilities now that the US has proven they can't be trusted.

If this money is invested in European military industries then they will need to considerably ramp up their production and overall it will strengthen European military power.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 3 days ago

They also need to cut the US out of any involvement in Ukraine

[–] [email protected] 55 points 4 days ago (7 children)

Don't forget to save some for the war against America.

load more comments (7 replies)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 days ago

yeah, that would have been an even better idea, 3 years ago.
Day 1 of the invasion, cut literally all economic ties with Russia and put 3% GDP into defense across the EU.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 3 days ago (10 children)

Finally Ukraine is getting the help they need! Kick out Russia once and for all!

load more comments (10 replies)
[–] [email protected] 41 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago)

It's a bit premature to announce this, but yes VonderLeyen has announced the preparation of a defense package of approx. 700 B via this legal fiscal venue. Together with the EU Competitiveness Compass plan at around a minimum of 750 B, they will likely be aimed to reinforce each other. In addition, other parallel plans are being prepared, pending current developments.

added: Context: EU defense is now at 326 B in 2024 (consilium EU). Though Europe also includes UK and other countries ofcourse.

This newly announced extra package is like a minimum extra budget.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 3 days ago (19 children)

I think we should give a nuke to Ukraine. One would be enough to stop all this BS.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Funny enough, when the USSR split up, Ukraine did have nukes, briefly. It was, you guessed it, the US that convinced them to give all their warheads to Russia.

Source: https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-trilateral-process-the-united-states-ukraine-russia-and-nuclear-weapons/

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 14 points 3 days ago

Them not being involved in the peace talks underlines again how indispensable nuclear weapons are, sadly.

The DSA playing hopscotch with whose ally they are underlines how worthless a shared nuclear umbrella can be.

So a grim lesson for Ukraine, Europe, Taiwan and pretty much any country with any border tensions, or anything another aspiring imperialist might find desireable: Get nukes, own them yourselfes, or risk being thrown aside or being steamrolled. Trump undoing decades of existential anti-proliferation work in mere days.

load more comments (17 replies)
[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

This is great but IMHO they really need to start building industrial capacity to produce millitary stuff as well. Money's no use when nobody wants to sell you weapons for it...

[–] [email protected] 11 points 2 days ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago)

Zut alors! Vastly outclassed by France, Scheiße!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 days ago (1 children)

Oh, thanks for the heads up. That's good to know.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 days ago

Some of the most iconic and renowned weapons of the 20th and 21st centuries were made by European countries. HK is a German company for example.

load more comments
view more: next ›