Geopolitical Tensions and European Security

This week, the Trump administration announced the suspension of U.S. military aid and intelligence to Ukraine. Reports have emerged that Trump administration officials have held secret discussions with some of Zelensky's political opponents. On Thursday, Trump told reporters he would consider only defending those allies who spend enough on defense. These events, along with everything that has transpired since U.S. Secretary of Defense Hegseth gave his speech to NATO in February, have catalyzed an unprecedented European response as allies are no longer confident that the US will remain a reliable partner moving forward. Allies are ramping up their defense spending; in an emergency meeting in Brussels yesterday, the EU agreed to rearm Europe by mobilizing 800 billion euros in defense spending. This jump in spending is unprecedented for the EU, with 2024 spending hitting a previous record high of 326 billion to rearm. We're very pleased to have Shashank Joshi and Camille Grand on Brussels Sprouts to discuss what all this means.  

Shashank Joshi is the Economist’s Defense Editor. 

Camille Grand is a Distinguished Policy Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.