27 European leaders set in motion the means to begin building nation-state armies and a potential EU army. This is in response to President Donald Trump’s recent declarations that essentially tell Europe it’s time to take on your own defenses. The move, though, is mixed with more than just self-reliance, but rather, portends the end of the American-led alliance.
The meeting lifted budget restrictions to increase defense budgets and even included a French commitment to protect Europe with its nuclear arsenal. It failed, however, to deliver to Ukraine a replacement for the loss of the support America had previously been providing. The Germans were quick to follow up the meeting with an agreement to dramatically increase their military budget. Ukraine’s ambassador revealed the underlying hostility of the new direction, accusing the U.S. of “destroying” the world order.
The division between Europe’s approach to freedom of speech and America’s is only highlighting the growing tensions between them. Elon Musk’s X recent decision to refuse a UK order to turn over private data in their pursuit of arresting protestors exposes the breech between the two civilizations, Western Europe and the new America in the age of MAGA.
EU leaders back new military spending plans at Ukraine summit – AP News
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European Union leaders on Thursday committed to a massive step in defense cooperation following decades of hesitation, spurred on by President Donald Trump’s repeated warnings that he would cut them adrift to face the threat of Russia without the overwhelming U.S. military might.
The 27 leaders signed off on a move to loosen budget restrictions so that willing EU countries can increase their military spending. They also urged the European Commission, the EU’s executive branch, to explore new ways to facilitate significant defense spending in all member states, a statement said.
Here’s what to know:
- Zelenskyy says Ukraine and U.S. have resumed working together: The Ukrainian president said in his nightly address that talks between Ukraine and the US on ending the war will take place in Saudi Arabia next week.
- EU can’t reach consensus on backing Ukraine: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a staunch supporter of Trump and considered to be Russian President Vladimir Putin’s closest ally in Europe, refused to endorse part of the summit statement in favor of Ukraine. But all 26 other EU leaders approved the bloc’s stance that there can be no negotiations on Ukraine without Ukraine and that the Europeans must be involved in any talks involving their security.
- France’s nuclear arsenal is in the spotlight: On Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron said he wanted to open a “strategic debate” on using France’s nuclear deterrent to protect European allies, a move Moscow quickly dismissed as “extremely confrontational.” At the summit, several eastern European nations said they welcomed Macron’s move.
German parties agree historic debt overhaul to revamp military and economy – Reuters
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The parties hoping to form Germany’s next government on Tuesday agreed to create a 500 billion euro infrastructure fund and overhaul borrowing rules in a tectonic spending shift to revamp the military and revive growth in Europe’s largest economy.Friedrich Merz’s conservatives and the Social Democrats (SPD), who are in negotiations to form a coalition after a national election last month, will put their proposals to the German parliament next week.Germany’s likely next chancellor, Merz, has seized the moment after the return of Donald Trump to the White House put the transatlantic alliance in turmoil and underlined the urgency for Europe to strengthen its own defences.Trump froze military aid to Ukraine after a bitter clash last week with its President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, reinforcing fears he could strike a deal with Russia to end the war in Ukraine while disengaging from Europe.Economists and investors have urged Germany to reform its constitutionally enshrined state borrowing limits – known as the “debt brake” – in order to free up investment and support an economy that has contracted for the past two years.
EU leaders open emergency talks on defense and Ukraine aid as US support wanes– abcnews.go.com
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BRUSSELS — Facing the possibility of a fundamental disengagement under U.S. President Donald Trump, European Union leaders opened a day of emergency summit talks Thursday to beef up their own military defenses and make sure that Ukraine will still be properly protected by its allies….
It all underscored the sea change that has happened in the two months since Trump took office and immediately started questioning the cornerstones of cooperation between the United States and Europe which had been the bedrock of Western security since World War II.
“Given these profound shifts in US policy, and the existential threat of another war on the continent, Europe, must manage its essential defence tasks,” the European Policy Center think tank said in a commentary.
The bloc of 27 will “take decisive steps forward,” Macron told the French nation Wednesday evening. “Member states will be able to increase their military spending” and “massive joint funding will be provided to buy and produce some of the most innovative munitions, tanks, weapons and equipment in Europe.”
Adding to the ebullient message he said that “Europe’s future does not have to be decided in Washington or Moscow.”
Ukraine’s ambassador to the uk says the US is “destroying” world order– BBC
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The US is “destroying” the established world order, Ukraine’s ambassador to the UK has claimed.
Valerii Zaluzhnyi said the White House had “questioned the unity of the Western world” and was “taking more and more steps towards” Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The comments come as the US puts pressure on Ukraine to make concessions ahead of any peace talks, and after a public clash between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his US counterpart Donald Trump.
Zelensky has since said he is “ready to work” under Trump’s “strong leadership”, an apparent cooling in tensions welcomed by Trump – and which comes after the US paused military aid to Kyiv.
Elon Musk DEFENDS free speech for hundreds of Britons as it’s revealed he REFUSED to hand over account details to police amid Southport unrest – GB News
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Elon Musk’s social media platform refused to hand the account details of hundreds of British people to police during and after last summer’s unrest.
New figures published by X showed that Musk’s firm turned down over half of UK Government information requests in the second half of 2024, The Telegraph revealed on Friday.
X said it shared user information in 379 out of 806 cases, a disclosure rate of 47 per cent – significantly lower than those of other firms like Google, Meta, TikTok and LinkedIn.
Musk’s figures cover requests from police and other official bodies and can include data including email and internet addresses or even private messages.
Starmer praises sacrifice of British troops in Afghanistan and Iraq in oblique rebuke to Vance– abcnews.go.com
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LONDON — U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday praised the hundreds of British troops who died fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq “alongside our allies,” in an oblique rebuke of U.S. Vice President JD Vance, who has questioned the merits of a potential European peacekeeping force in Ukraine following the signing of any peace agreement between the country and Russia.
In his opening remarks before the start of a weekly parliamentary question session, Starmer specifically paid tribute to six British soldiers who died on patrol in Afghanistan when their vehicle was struck by an explosive. Thursday marks the 13-year anniversary of their deaths.
“These men fought and died for their country, our country,” Starmer told the House of Commons. “And across the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, 642 individuals died fighting for Britain alongside our allies, many more were wounded.”
Without directly referencing Vance, the prime minister said he and all lawmakers will “never forget their bravery and their sacrifice.”
The EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, has called on Europe to find a new representative for the “Leader of the Free World” because Trump’s America isn’t it. Her response came after the President threw Ukrainian PM Volodymyr Zelensky out of the oval office and cut off all aid to his country.
Disgraceful: EU’s Top Diplomat Calls for “New Leader of the Free World” After Ungrateful Zelensky Is Told to Leave the White House | The Gateway Pundit– www.thegatewaypundit.com
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The European Union’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas, a legend in international diplomacy (kidding), lashed out at President Trump after Volodymyr Zelensky’s disgraceful and rude display on Friday in the Trump White House.
Earlier today, ungrateful Ukrainian President Zelensky waltzed into the Trump White House and treated President Trump and the American people with total disdain.
President Trump ended the talks after several minutes due to Zelensky’s rude behavior.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and NSA advisor Michael Waltz then went into the Roosevelt Room to ask Zelenskyy to leave, Rubio made it clear that any further engagements today would be counterproductive. Waltz told Zelenskyy he had made a tremendous mistake, and it was a grave disservice to Ukraine and to Americans.
It is the first time a US President kicked out a world leader from the White House in recent memory.
Following this horrible display, the EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas tweeted out that we need “a new leader of the free world.”
Ukraine is Europe!
We stand by Ukraine.We will step up our support to Ukraine so that they can continue to fight back the agressor.
Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader. It’s up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge.
— Kaja Kallas (@kajakallas) February 28, 2025
Kaja wants the EU to take up this world leadership position – and if you disagree with her the EU will arrest you and threaten you at your home!
Or, was this just a direct threat against President Trump?
This isn’t the first time Kallas has attacked President Trump.
RT reported:
Kallas previously accused Trump of adopting “Russian narratives and talking points” about the Ukraine conflict, and expressed concern over what she described as Washington’s shift away from its longtime European allies.
She also pushed back against criticisms of democracy in the EU made by Vice President Vance at the Munich Security Conference – remarks that Trump praised as “brilliant.” “I refuse to accept that criticism, because it’s just simply not true,” Kallas said.
In recent weeks, Trump has made several critical statements about Ukraine’s leadership, describing Zelensky as a “dictator without elections” and suggesting that Kiev bears responsibility for allowing hostilities to escalate in 2022.
The EU, apparently has given Russia more money for its energy than it gave to Ukraine to support them during the war.
In 2024, EU Spent More Money on Russian Energy than Ukraine Aid › American Greatness– amgreatness.com
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A new report reveals that, despite constant anti-Russia and pro-Ukraine rhetoric, the nations of the European Union (EU) collectively spent more money on Russian oil and gas in 2024 than they did on military aid to Ukraine.
As reported by Fox News, the data was revealed in a study by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CRECA). The center determined that in the third year of the war between Russia and Ukraine, the EU spent approximately $23 billion on Russian fossil fuels; by comparison, they spent only about $19.6 billion on military and financial aid to Ukraine.
Russia’s energy dominance also went beyond the continent of Europe. In 2024, China purchased at least $82 billion worth of Russian energy, while India spent $51 billion and Turkey spent $36 billion. All together, Russia made $254 billion on energy exports. In addition to direct sales to Western nations, Russia also profits from selling oil to third parties which then sell the Russian oil to Western states.
Overall, Russia’s oil exports have decreased by just 8% since the start of the war in 2022, despite overwhelming condemnation and sanctions from most Western nations. Since the war began in February of 2022, Russia has made nearly $1 trillion in oil exports alone.
One major reason for Russian exports remaining strong is that, even after numerous sanctions, the average price of Russian oil is still cheaper than other sources such as the Middle East.
Another reason why Europe has remained dependent on Russian energy is the anti-energy policies of the previous Biden Administration. After the start of the war, many European countries prepared to abandon Russian energy in favor of American exports. However, Biden’s White House soon banned liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports in the name of combatting so-called “global warming,” thus forcing Europe back to the Russian energy market. President Donald Trump rescinded the LNG export bans with an executive order on his first day back in office.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance stood before world leaders in a Munich, Germany speech in which he challenged Europe’s resistance to free speech. He highlighted the arrest of a British citizen for silently praying outside an abortion clinic.
Vance stated, “I can tell you plainly: There can be no security if you are afraid of the voices, the opinions, and the conscience that guide your own people. What I worry about is the threat from within, the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values.”
JD Vance rebukes anti-free speech, anti-Christian discrimination in Munich speech – The Christian Post
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Delivering a speech in Germany, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance criticized European governments for suppressing free speech and discriminating against Christians. He urged leaders across Europe to reverse the ongoing crackdown on conservative voices and religious freedoms.
In his address at the Munich Security Conference in Munich on Friday, Vance noted that conservatives have been investigated, arrested, prosecuted or fined for protesting abortion and posting views on social media.
He also criticized attempts to exclude populist parties from political collaboration, saying they pose a threat to democracy.
Last month, the European Union introduced fresh measures to enforce the Digital Services Act, which limits American speech on social media platforms. While EU lawmakers claimed the initiative was to target “foreign interference” and “illegal content,” it raised concerns among free speech advocates in the U.S. The Act compels social media companies to remove “illegal content” or face penalties of up to 6% of their global annual turnover.
Paul Coleman, executive director of the legal advocacy group ADF International, warned at the time that a “new bipolar order of speech” was unfolding. “On the one hand, Europe is doubling down on censorship, while the U.S. is recommitting to its free speech heritage.”
“I can tell you plainly: There can be no security if you are afraid of the voices, the opinions, and the conscience that guide your own people,” Vance said in Munich. “What I worry about is the threat from within, the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values.”
The EU will be without cheap Russian gas following a decision by Ukraine to no longer allow Russia’s gas transferal to occur on Ukraine soil. President Volodymyr Zelensky called the decision “one of Moscow’s biggest defeats.” The “Brotherhood pipeline” shutdown will allegedly cause Russian gas giant Gazprom more than $6 billion yearly.
EU on brink of gas war after Ukraine cuts off Russia’s £5bn supply | World | News– www.express.co.uk
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Ukraine will no longer allow Russian gas to pass through en route to European neighbours in a move that will hurt both the Kremlin and EU states dependent on Putin’s energy supply.
On January 1, the 2019 deal, which saw gas transit through Ukraine to states like Slovakia and Austria, expired.
President Zelensky heralded the move as “one of Moscow’s biggest defeats”, while his energy minister branded it “historic”.
The closure of the Urengoy–Pomary–Uzhhorod, which is also known as the Brotherhood pipeline, will cost Russian gas company Gazprom around £5bn a year – a bitter blow for Putin’s creaking war economy.
However, it’s not just Russia that is reeling following the expiration of the gas deal. Several European states are heavily dependent on Russian gas transported through Ukraine.
Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, as well as Moldova, are reliant on the steady flow of energy through Ukraine. Now that that is no longer possible, the only route remaining into Europe from Russia is via the TurkStream pipeline and the BlueSteam pipeline, under the Black Sea.
