Europe depends too much on US military support

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During a recent segment on “PBS NewsHour,” co-host Geoff Bennett addressed the longstanding issue of European dependence on American military support, highlighting how this relationship has resulted in reduced defense spending among European nations.

BREAKING: 🚨 Polish PM Donald Tusk rips Europe's dependance on the US.

"500 million Europeans are asking 300 million Americans to defend them against 140 million Russians."

"Europe today lacks the belief that we are truly a global force.”pic.twitter.com/lR4wmq43Hh

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In his discussion with Finnish President Alexander Stubb, Bennett raised questions about the historical dynamic between Europe and the United States regarding defense capabilities. “Europe has relied on the U.S. for security, leading to an underinvestment in Europe’s own defense capabilities. Some European countries have increased their own defense spending. But what’s really required in shifting that paradigm, as President Trump has called for?” Bennett inquired.

Europe is up for military independence and stepping up its defenses to depend less on the US, the former director general of European Union military staff Lieutenant General David Leakey says. pic.twitter.com/jClkdE9O7C

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In response, Stubb acknowledged the validity of former President Trump’s stance on the matter. “Well, my first observation is to say that President Trump is right, and the pressure that he has put on allies in NATO has been very welcomed. But there are a lot of our European allies that haven’t done enough. So, when President Trump started to put pressure on the allies in 2016, there were only about three NATO countries that went over the 2% threshold. Now we’re at 23. The U.S. wants Europe to take more responsibility for its own security and defense. And I think the U.S. is right on that. But the transition is long, and this is not binary. We’re allies. We’re in this together, hand-to-hand. European security is in the interest of American security, and vice versa.”