Can Europe defend itself alone? – podcast | European Union

On Thursday, after the US determined to halt army assist and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, European leaders in Brussels agreed to an enormous and unprecedented enhance in defence spending.

The Guardian’s Europe correspondent, Jon Henley, explains to Michael Safi that this €800bn fund marks a brand new period for the union and can imply tearing up fiscal guidelines to loosen borrowing.

For some member states, corresponding to Germany, attaining this defensive autonomy would require profound constitutional modifications. For different states, corresponding to France, preparations have been underneath means for years.

Regardless of opposition from states corresponding to Hungary, Henley explains that public sentiment throughout Europe is now broadly behind these modifications. And but the query stays – with long-term US help now in query, will all this arming up be sufficient to discourage Russia?