Government heads from Poland, France, and Germany pledged Monday to transform Europe into a formidable defence power able to better back Ukraine, amid renewed unease over past comments by ex-President Donald Trump implying NATO countries could be fair targets for a Russian invasion.
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The foreign ministers gathered in Paris to revive the Weimar Triangle, a regional alliance between the three nations to foster cooperation on security issues. Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki also met with President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Olaf Scholz to urge them to strengthen defences and reinvigorate ties.
The impetus follows Trump’s recent appearance to invite Russia to attack delinquent NATO members at a rally. “You gotta pay your bills,” Trump recalled telling an unnamed member during his term. The remarks shocked many in Eastern bloc nations like Poland, gravely concerned over Russian aggression next door.
Chancellor Scholz denounced the comments in Berlin alongside Morawiecki, saying, “Any relativization of NATO’s support guarantee is irresponsible and dangerous and is in the interest of Russia alone.” Morawiecki concurred NATO protection promises are “unrestricted” and absolutes.
The leaders advocated significant investments in firepower and munitions to realize “much greater air defence capabilities” within months. Morawiecki noted Trump’s statements should serve as “a cold shower” regarding the Russian threat. Macron affirmed Europe’s determination to keep aiding Ukraine militarily and realize its vision of a robust, complementary EU defence entity supporting NATO.
Fears linger that re-electing an isolationist like Trump could embolden further Russian expansionism. But the show of unity sent a message that security coordination between these leading European powers will only intensify. Together, they aim to combat Russian disinformation, recently becoming targets of propaganda campaigns destabilizing domestic affairs.
The talks suggest that while the Ukraine invasion has tested transatlantic ties, Europe is responding by shoring up regional defence integration. And leaders indicated that any openness to forfeiting allied sovereignty to Russia would only meet strengthened resistance.
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