Archive: https://archive.is/2025.03.11-061334/https://www.ft.com/content/b51365f9-a58b-497d-919b-9c5c279f75a4

The EU should create “concrete” defence co-operation with the UK, including defence industry collaboration and initiatives such as possible joint military exercises, 20 of the EU’s 27 capitals have said, as the bloc scrambles to recalibrate its relations with London in light of Donald Trump’s presidency.

Context: Trump’s threats to withdraw security guarantees to European Nato allies and his move to stop support to Ukraine and reestablish ties with Russia have spooked the continent’s capitals, and forced intense discussions on a “coalition of the willing” — co-led by France and the UK — to aid Kyiv and increase European defence capabilities.

“The United Kingdom stands out as one of the EU’s key partners — as many of our priorities in foreign and security policy align — and in this severe security context closer co-operation is an imperative,” states a position paper written by the 20 countries including Germany, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands, and seen by the FT. “The EU and UK work together to strengthen transatlantic security.”

    • Kushan
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      1 day ago

      You keep saying to people that they’re missing your point but over all of your comments, I don’t see what point you’re trying to make. You keep alluding to some mistreatment by the EU when we left, but haven’t elaborated further.

      You keep saying we’re better off with the US as an ally, but haven’t given any real steer as to why that is - especially concerning given that the US has turned on many of it’s closest allys. They’ve also not given us a trade deal and I’m far keep threatening tariffs so how much better off are we with them, really?

      All of this is kind of moot anyway, the world and political landscape has changed massively in the last couple of months; most Britain’s now so not see the US as an ally according to recent polling, so no political leader is going to lose face by aligning with the EU.

      Besides all that, everything is a negotiation and in this instance, both the EU and the UK will benefit each other. It would be senseless for either party to be spiteful over what happened years ago when the real looming threat is in the whitehouse right now

    • @Beryl
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      11 day ago

      ‘‘Your’’ nuclear weapons? The ones you can’t use without permission from the US? The only European country that actually has nuclear weapons is France.