GREEK VERSION |

Brussels, February 18, 2025 

The week of the 10^th of February 2025 will go down in history as one of infamy. The Trump administration started a bilateral dialogue with Putin on Ukraine, setting up a negotiation process that excludes both the attacked country but also Europe; hinted at the end of US security guarantee to the continent; and disparaged European democracy at the Munich Security Conference. In a meeting of selected EU leaders in Paris on 17 February, they struggled to show a united approach to position our Union in view of this new geopolitical situation. They also failed to put forward concrete institutional plans to achieve more political unity and a Defence Union, beyond agreeing on increasing defence expenditures.

The aggression and humiliation that Europeans are suffering at the hands of the Trump Administration leave no room for doubt or speculation. A dual attack is underway: on European security—now seen as nothing more than a burden by Washington, which seeks to abandon Ukraine in the hands of Putin in a logic of “spheres of influence”; and on liberal democracy—also regarded as an obstacle to the project of a new autocratic and populist international order.

In light of the opening of negotiations between the U.S. and Russia for the partition of Ukraine, what alternatives remain? The future of Ukraine is at stake, and with it, the future of Europe itself. If Europeans cannot provide Ukraine with support and certainty, the European Union itself will be overwhelmed. In this emerging world of great autocratic imperial powers, the only way to save democracy and freedom is to counterbalance them with the political weight of a great democratic and federal state, able to secure its own defence, since the US is not anymore a reliable partner, and more likely, and it has become an adversary.

Right now, citizens want a common defense, as confirmed by surveys with overwhelmingly high percentages; and many European states are already directly threatened by Russia. The only current alternative proposed by EU leaders seems to be the individual rearmament of countries, aiming to increase integration and interoperability but only on a voluntary basis. However, the industrial dimension alone will not produce a Defence Union able to guarantee the territorial defence of Europe. Moreover, under these conditions, the rush to rearm will inevitably result in a significant portion of new defense investments being spent on purchasing arms and technology from third countries, primarily the US. That will be folly.

Building an autonomous security and defense requires strong political will for integration, which is essential to address two crucial issues: developing a collective strategy based on a shared analysis of priority threats and interests to be protected; and mobilizing significant financial resources. Whatever model is chosen to build a European armed, it must be acknowledged that, in parallel, the formation of a unified political leadership is necessary—one capable of representing the common interest and making political decisions accordingly.

Therefore the UEF calls for:

• Continued and stronger support to Ukraine, particularly in terms of delivery of weapons and its range of use, filling if needed the potential gap left by the US.
• The rejection of any deal between the US and Russia that is not accepted by Ukraine and that does not provide long-term security for our continent.
• An urgent an extraordinary meeting of the European Council to address concrete steps for the political unification of Europe, in line with the European Parliament´s 2023 constitutional proposal, and the available possibilities for setting-up a European Defence Union, including among others, those offered by the Permanent Structured Cooperation (PESCO).

We call on the European Parliament to support the said objectives in its plenary meeting of 10th-13th March 2025, and on the most responsible and active Member States to mobilize within the European Council accordingly.

Europe is in its darkest hour since 1945. But now, there are no saviors across the Atlantic, while we face an imminent danger in our Eastern border. Europe can only count on itself and must decide whether to remain passive and allow itself to be dominated by the emerging Trump-Putin Axis, or to react with unity and decisiveness. 

RELATED LINKS

- Resolution | A European foreign and security policy in a Changing World 
- Resolution on Building Consensus for Treaty Change