Statement by EES President Dr Ingo Friedrich, June 3rd, 2025

Trump's Ultimate Rejection of Ukraine and Putin's Military Buildup: Europe Must Completely Rethink Security

Since Trump's resolute rejection of joint Ukraine sanctions and the disturbing arms reports from Moscow, the Europeans must completely reorganize their defenses. We must recognize that Putin has "tasted blood": He is transforming Russia into a kind of warrior state, comparable to ancient Sparta or present-day North Korea. He has realized that the only sector with which he can gain significance on the world stage is the military, so he is continually expanding this sector. In all other areas, such as technical or scientific ones, Russia has nothing "to offer." Selling raw materials is still acceptable, but otherwise, nothing intellectual can be expected from Russia. Putin's motto is: "Becoming a world power through weapons and soldiers." This (wonderful) feeling of being a world power is of almost identity-forming importance for Russia and its citizens.

But that also means that Putin currently sees absolutely no reason to end the fighting in Ukraine, regardless of which peace mediator comes into play. Recognizing this is very important, and it must then be linked to the fact that Trump no longer wants to be Putin's opponent. We Europeans are therefore entirely dependent on ourselves and are facing a kind of "prince of darkness" who has decided to once again play the role of world power, regardless of the consequences. Unfortunately, it's even more complicated because China is not Putin's opponent, but practically an ally.

What strategy should Europe adopt in this difficult situation?

It can only be: Make a virtue of necessity, i.e., if Putin doesn't want to stop, then we won't stop either. Then we must supply Ukraine with all available equipment and see who has the most staying power. Then 800,000 Russian soldiers will continue to be "tied down" in Ukraine, and Europe can use the "time gained" to become so militarily strong in the coming years that another Russian attack will be impossible. This includes, in particular, the construction of its own European nuclear defense umbrella.

Historically, this is of course a terrible reversion to alternative courses of action from the 20th century, but if Russia resorts to this model – considered outdated – we will unfortunately be forced to act in this field as well. This will be expensive and will require a departure from some cherished habits.

In the long run, however, Russia cannot sustain losing 500 to 1,000 people every day. And after all, the 160 million Russians are faced with 530 million Europeans. The ones who suffer most from such a development are, of course, the Ukrainians, who must decide for themselves how long they can sustain this defensive struggle. Overall, the Europeans face an unprecedented test.

Let us hope that Europe passes this "test" and emerges stronger from this conflict.

Dr. Ingo Friedrich