As Donald Trump threatens NATO, the Baltic states stiffen their defences
Russia’s formidable installations in Ukraine are reviving interest in fortification
THE SPECTRE of Donald Trump returned rudely to Europe on February 10th, when the former president told a campaign rally that he would encourage Russia to attack nato allies who did not meet the alliance’s target of spending 2% of GDP on defence. Mr Trump’s message jangled already frayed nerves: in recent weeks, a succession of European defence ministers and spy chiefs have warned that war with Russia is more likely and closer than assumed in the past. “It cannot be ruled out that within a three- to five-year period, Russia will test Article 5 and NATO’s solidarity,” warned Troels Lund Poulsen, Denmark’s defence minister, on February 9th. “That was not nato‘s assessment in 2023. This is new information that is coming to the fore now,” he explained.
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This article appeared in the Europe section of the print edition under the headline “Bunkering down”
Europe February 17th 2024
- The EU’s covid-19 recovery fund has worked, but not as intended
- After Russia’s invasion the people of Bessarabia switched sides
- As Donald Trump threatens NATO, the Baltic states stiffen their defences
- As German industry declines, the Ruhr gives hope
- Europe decides it doesn’t like lab-grown meat before it’s tried it
- How not to botch the upcoming EU leadership reshuffle
From the February 17th 2024 edition
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Marine Le Pen spooks the bond markets
She threatens to bring down the French government, but also faces a possible ban from politics
The maths of Europe’s military black hole
It needs to spend to defend, but voters may balk
Ukraine’s warriors brace for a Kremlin surge in the south
Vladimir Putin’s war machine is pushing harder and crushing Ukrainian morale
Vladimir Putin fires a new missile to amplify his nuclear threats
The attack on Ukraine is part of a new era of missile warfare
A rise in antisemitism puts Europe’s liberal values to the test
The return of Europe’s oldest scourge
Once dominant, Germany is now desperate
As an election looms its business model is breaking down