The EU has its Trojan horses and Nato’s cornerstone has crumbled. But European allies, including the UK, are bound by an urgent shared purposeMoscow’s immense military mobilisation is clearly not aimed just at Ukraine. Unless Vladimir Putin accepts a ceasefire with meaningful security guarantees there will be no end in sight to the war. If anything, we could see the extension of Russia’s aggression beyond Ukraine. The bleak reality is that Europe still faces an unprecedented threat and notwithstanding signs of progress for Ukraine at talks in Jeddah, we face it alone.Worse, we now have to confront it with the US working against us. Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump appear to share a plan: a Vichy-like regime in Ukraine and a European continent split into spheres of influence, which Russia, the US (and perhaps China) can colonise and prey upon. Most European publics sense this. A critical mass of European leaders gets it too. They are beginning to act.Nathalie Tocci is a Guardian Europ...
Putin's war and Trump's actions are forging a new Europe, different from the post-1945 and post-1989 models, driven by shared purpose among European allies, including the UK. This emerging Europe involves both EU and non-EU elements, with leaders like Macron and Starmer taking charge, and Brussels institutions playing a key role. While not replacing NATO, this new Europe requires increased European defense spending and a focus on strategic priorities.
