At the meeting of the European Political Community in Budapest, European leaders argue for a Europe that is an independent and influential ‘geopolitical power’ in the world.
The Donald Trump’s victory the American presidential elections forces European countries to do so improve your own defense capabilities fearing that Washington will step back in its arming and financial support of Ukraine and accelerate its efforts to compete in the global economy.
Budapest (Hungary) hosted the fifth meeting between the 27 states of the European Union and twenty other countries of the continent, including the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Turkey, the countries of the Western Balkans or the partners of the Caucasus, which was marked by a Trump victory and his possible consequences for the continent.
In a context marked by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, growing geopolitical tensions between the United States and China, the loss of competitiveness of European economies vis-à-vis these powers and global challenges such as climate change, Europeans see the return of the Republican power. The White House is the latest wake-up call to reduce its foreign dependencies.
In this sense, the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, He emphasized that Europe must defend its economy and its democratic model and believed that Europe, with 700 million citizens, is in a position to be a fully independent and influential ‘geopolitical power’ in the world. “If we want, we can regain control,” he claimed.
“I think the time has come to wake up from our geopolitical naivety and realize that we need to mobilize additional resources to face the major challenges, the issues of competitiveness and European defense,” the Greek Prime Minister summarized . Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
In the same line, the President of the European Council, Charles Michelsaid the EU will work on its own strategic agenda, although it is “willing to deepen its ties with the United States”, and hoped that the new US administration will remain committed to supporting Ukraine.
The future tenant of the White House has one of his best allies in Europe in the Hungarian Prime Minister. Viktor Orban, host of the event, who at the press conference after the meeting praised Trump and assured that he toasted with vodka after learning of his victory.
Orbán, who is also close to Putin and is a loose word in the EU, assured that the change of command in Washington “closes a chapter and opens a new one” regarding Ukraine, and called on Europe to broaden the scope of its support for Ukraine to reconsider. Kiev.
“People in Europe are increasingly unwilling to finance a war that they do not exactly understand, that does not understand its purpose and that no one guarantees how long it will last,” Orbán said, extending his call for a “cease fire” repeated. conflict as a “first step” to achieve peace.
Slovakia’s Prime Minister, left-wing populist Robert Fico, who also supports a ceasefire, has already warned that his country will not approve of Europe taking “full financial responsibility for Ukraine”.
The speech of these leaders is in stark contrast to that of the majority of the European Union’s partners, who have reiterated since the start of the war in 2022 that they will support Kiev “as long as necessary”.
Source: EITB
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
