this post was submitted on 14 Feb 2025
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BRUSSELS (AP) — In just one speech by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth this week, the most powerful member of NATO has thrown the world’s biggest military alliance into disarray, raising troubling questions about America’s commitment to European security.

Hegseth told almost 50 of Ukraine ’s Western backers on Wednesday that he had joined their meeting “to directly and unambiguously express that stark strategic realities prevent the United States of America from being primarily focused on the security of Europe.”

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 19 hours ago* (last edited 19 hours ago) (1 children)

I don’t know why they’d be in “disarray”. They knew this was coming the moment Trump was elected.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Because of "quality journalism".

[–] [email protected] 4 points 17 hours ago

EU needs to slam Trump tbh... that's always a solid headline from a millennial "journalism"

[–] [email protected] 45 points 22 hours ago (1 children)

Russia owns the US now, the government is now quasi openly putins bitch. Our old allies need to prepare for the worst! War is coming. EU needs to protect Ukraine and make damn sure it's an overwhelming defeat for russia as Ukraine is already on the front lines of the war.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 22 hours ago (2 children)

Russia won the cold war. Reagan, that piece of shit, would be turning over in his grave. Especially since he removed the final road blocks.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 21 hours ago (2 children)

American capitalist doing American capitalism Americanly

"Holy shit, this is just like living in the USSR."

Trump has very nakedly and explicitly said he wants to increase arms sales to Europe and is holding US support in NATO hostage to this effect. This is entirely because the Silicon Valley tech sector has gone long on US arms sales and wants to make the Big Number Go Up.

Peter Thiel's plan to shove Palantir down the throats of every Olaf, Macron, and Meloni isn't an insidious Russian plot to reconquer Bulgaria. Its the American MIC trying to squeeze a bit more profit out of the periphery one more time.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 17 hours ago

Alternatively they want to make an authoritarian police state at home and sell those systems to other autocrats.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

And we should answer by increasing our military spending... On local products.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

I'm sure France and the UK will be thrilled.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 18 hours ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 17 hours ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 17 hours ago

I see other two European countries above the UK in that chart...? And 5 out of 8 are from Europe anyway (not counting Russia, because of obvious reasons)

[–] [email protected] 1 points 17 hours ago

What specifically do you mean when you say Reagan removed the roadblocks?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 16 hours ago

Disarray? Lmao.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 22 hours ago (3 children)

EU has been told since at least Obama to step up...

Germany is still slacking...

Ukraine is so fucked but Ukraine is EU issue first, so EU should be the leader in handling it.

This behavior enabled Trump and his acolytes to do this. He is able to explain to his base that EU doesn't carry its own weight which is objectively true. Maybe EU and Germany specifically would finally take a hint.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 20 hours ago* (last edited 20 hours ago)

Obama also laughed at Romney when he said Russia was a threat.

European NATO has stepped up since 2014. Only 6/29 + Germany are the ones slacking. EU has been the leader in handling the Russian invasion contributing more to Ukraine than the US has, while the US has been an unreliable ally under Biden.

That whole selfish argument also fails to recognize the benefits of defense alliances. If the US and EU defend each other instead of playing selfish games, then it becomes cheaper for BOTH OF THEM when it comes to deterring threats like Russia and China. Trump doesn't understand this.

Trumpists live in an alternate reality where EU are lazy socialists that never manage to meet Trump's moving goalposts, while at the same time complaining that they're censoring fascists and racists like Orban and Momika.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 20 hours ago

The deal used to be that Europe accepts US hegemony in exchange for protection. Only a Trumper is dumb enough to think they can cancel the deal without negative consequences for themselves.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 21 hours ago

They're still improving at least. There are ~3x as many nations meeting the 2% spending requirement over a decade ago. Here's hoping it continues and can supplant aid to Ukraine plus fight any other claims over NATO members in the very near future.

[–] Punchshark 7 points 21 hours ago

The US was for sale and russia bought it

[–] [email protected] 5 points 20 hours ago

I'm all for the US fucking right off. Trump seems to want isolationism. That and sucking up to dictators.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 22 hours ago

Yeah because the security of Europe doesn't affect us...

[–] [email protected] 3 points 20 hours ago

I think we should form a strong military alliance ourselves, leaving the overseas nazi state out of it. I don't mean some sort of EU committee, but NATO like alliance