The president of the European Commission has outlined a five-point plan called ReArm Europe and said it was an ‘era of rearmament.’
The president of the European Commission has outlined a five-point plan called ReArm Europe that she said could boost the European Union’s defense spending by 800 billion euros ($840 billion).
Speaking on Tuesday, Ursula von der Leyen said Europe must “step up” and meet the challenge it faces.
Her announcement—which will be discussed by EU leaders at a special summit on Thursday—came only hours after the United States government paused all military aid to Ukraine.
Since fighting erupted between Russia and Ukraine in 2022, the United States has sent at least $175 billion in aid, including cash and military equipment, to support Ukrainian defense efforts.
Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January, he has emphasized Europe needs to step up and increase its defense spending, and shoulder more of the burden of defending the continent after decades of relying on the protection of Washington.
Von der Leyen said, “The real question in front of us is whether Europe is prepared to act as decisively as the situation dictates, and whether Europe is ready and able to act with speed and with the ambition that is needed.”
“In the various meetings in the last few weeks, most recently two days ago in London, the answer from European capitals has been as resounding as it is clear,” she added.
‘Era Of Rearmament’
Von der Leyen said, “We are in an era of rearmament, and Europe is ready to massively increase its spending, both to respond to the short-term urgency to act and to support Ukraine, but also to invest in the long term, to take on more responsibility for our own European security.”
The European Union has 27 member countries and does not include Britain, Norway, Turkey or Iceland, which are in NATO.
On Feb. 25, Britain’s Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced the UK would commit 2.5 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) to defense spending by 2027, and would target 3 percent of GDP for defense within the decade.
