While it is true that the EU provides more financial support than the US, the US provides most of the military aid that helped the country withstand and slow down the Russian advance. The EU is powerful as an economic block, but they don’t have a unified army, they depend on American weaponry (with the exception of France), and I don’t see much political will to keep arming Ukraine if the US pulls out completely or if the Trump administration pauses sanctions.
It seems to me that Trump simply cannot get over Zelensky not ‘helping’ him to find something nefarious about Biden’s son during his first administration and now POTUS is first provoking him and then, when Zelensky send a diplomatically worded answer, POTUS overreacts and insults, like he got the excuse he was looking for. So vindictive and victim blaming.
This is not the America I was taught about.
I’ve never seen a country destroy it’s credibility with allies so fast in such a short notice. Putin is sure having a good time watching all this.
I’ve heard most US senators are pro Ukraine, but I don’t see any of them confronting Trump. GOP belongs to MAGA now.
Unless democrats win the midterms in 2026 he’s going to have 4 years of trifecta. I don’t see how Ukraine can survive 4 more years of onslaught only with European help and no boots on the ground.
Does Ukraine have any chance?
As a european working in the weapon industry, I love reading american people thinking we make no weapons or the weapons we make are worse. We even sold some ships to the US lol. American military is the best, but not necesarily for quality, but for the sheer amount (aka quantity) coming from how much money you put in there. And a lot of money is spent buying other systems…
I’m not trying to diminish the quality or importance of the French military, the only EU country with an independent industrial military complex, but as of 2025 USAF has 385 operative F-35 and another 1,350 on order. Many NATO allies are procuring this fighter. This is a 5th generation fighter, the Dassault Rafale and the Dassault Mirage 2000 are 4th generation. Currently, no 5th generation fighters are being produced in the EU.
Unpopular opinion, but the Americans have better quality airframes and produce more. On a wide EU-Russia conflict the EU would still depend on US made weaponry. Sad but true.
Which should be a reason good enough to create an EU wide military industrial complex and make your own 5th and 6th generation fighters and your own defense systems.
But the EU is eternally disunited.
American exceptionalism has been a major feature of the Americans self image for many generations.
It’s really tiring living beside them and having to hear them constantly blathering about it.