Poland, France, And Germany Vow To Fortify Europe As Fears Over Russia Grows

Amid growing concerns that former US President Donald Trump may take the White House again and permit Russia to increase its aggression on the continent, the governments of Poland, France, and Germany have pledged to strengthen Europe’s defense capabilities and increase its capacity to support Ukraine.

Along with other matters, the foreign ministers of the three nations convened on Monday in the La Celle-Saint-Cloud district of Paris to discuss Ukraine.

The ministers talked of bringing the long-dormant Weimar Triangle—a regional alliance intended to foster collaboration between France, Germany, and Poland—back to life.

In 1991, when Poland was emerging from decades of communism, the three countries formed the Weimar Triangle as a forum for political collaboration.

Following his meeting on Monday with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin and French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk declared his intention to “revitalize” his country’s ties with its major European allies.

Mr. Tusk said that the European Union should become “a military power” in and of itself, saying, “There is no reason why we should be so clearly militarily weaker than Russia, and therefore increasing production and intensifying our cooperation are absolutely indisputable priorities.”

The diplomatic push came after Mr. Trump shocked many in Europe over the weekend by appearing to invite Russia to invade any Nato member not spending enough on its defense.

“‘You didn’t pay? You’re delinquent?’” Mr Trump recounted telling an unidentified Nato member during his presidency.

“‘No, I would not protect you. I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You gotta pay. You gotta pay your bills.’”

The Republican front-runner’s words at a campaign rally were particularly shocking for front-line Nato countries like Poland, which experienced both German and Soviet occupation during the Second World War and later spent decades under Soviet control.

Speaking alongside Mr Tusk in Berlin, Mr Scholz blasted Mr Trump’s comments.

“Nato’s promise of protection is unrestricted – ‘all for one and one for all,’” Mr. Scholz said without mentioning the former president by name.

“And let me say clearly for current reasons, any relativization of Nato’s support guarantee is irresponsible and dangerous, and is in the interest of Russia alone,” the chancellor added.

“No one can play, or ‘deal,’ with Europe’s security.”

Trump’s remarks raised concerns that if re-elected, he could embolden Russia to attack other countries besides Ukraine.

Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg stated on Sunday that Trump’s remarks put American troops and their allies at greater risk.

Nato does not require its 31 members to pay bills, but they are expected to invest a certain percentage of their budgets – ideally, 2% of their gross domestic product – on defense.

Some countries, like Poland, have long met the target. Other European nations ramped up their military spending after Russia invaded Ukraine almost two years ago.

Germany, with a post-Second World War political culture of military caution, was a frequent target of Trump’s ire during his presidency for falling short of the 2% target, but Berlin announced plans to step up military spending after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine and plans to hit the benchmark this year.

France’s military budget grew in recent years and reached the level of about 2% of GDP.

Polish foreign minister Radek Sikorski noted that he and his French and German counterparts “meet at a dramatic, but also solemn moment”.

He added that Russian President Vladimir Putin “must not be allowed to win this war. We must fulfill our obligations toward Ukraine”.

French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne said, “Each minute counts to get Europeans prepared to absorb the shock of a scenario that has been well described by Donald Trump”.