I want to talk about the future of Europe with you – which basically means the future of most people here.
Right now, all eyes are on Washington. But who’s actually watching Europe at the moment?
That’s the key question for Europe. And it’s not just about ideas. It’s about people, first of all. It’s about how they’ll live in a world that’s constantly changing.
Twenty hours ago, President Trump’s inauguration took place in Washington. And now everyone is waiting to see what he’ll do next. His first executive orders have already shown clear priorities.
Most of the world’s now thinking – so, what’s going happen to their relationship with America? What will happen to alliances? To support? To trade? How does President Trump plan to end wars?
But no-one is asking these kinds of questions about Europe. And we need to be honest about that.
When we in Europe look at the United States as our ally, it’s clear – they are an indispensable ally.
In times of war, everyone worries will the United States stay with them? Every ally worries about that. But does anyone in the United States worry that Europe might abandon them someday – might stop being their ally? The answer is ‘no’.
Washington does not believe Europe can bring them something that is really substantial.
I remember last year’s Asia Security Summit in Singapore – the Shangri-La Dialogue. There, representatives of the United States delegation openly said their top security priority is the Indo-Pacific region, the second is the Middle East and the Gulf, and only the third is Europe – and that was under the previous administration.
Will President Trump even notice Europe? Does he see NATO as necessary? And will he respect EU institutions?
Ladies and gentlemen, Europe can’t afford to be second or third in line for its allies. If that happens, the world will start moving forward without Europe, and that’s a world that will not be comfortable or beneficial for all Europeans.
Europe needs to compete for the top spot in priorities, alliances and technological development.
We’re at yet another turning point, which some see as a problem for Europe, but others call a chance. Europe must establish itself as a strong global player; as an indispensable player.
Let’s not forget – there’s no ocean separating European countries from Russia. And European leaders should remember this – battles involving North Korean soldiers are now happening in places geographically closer to Davos than to Pyongyang.
Russia is turning into a version of North Korea – a country where human life means nothing, but they have nuclear weapons and a burning desire to make their neighbours’ lives miserable.
Even though Russia’s overall economic potential is way smaller than Europe’s, it produces several times more ammo and military equipment than all of Europe combined. That’s exactly the path of wars Moscow chooses to take.
Putin signed the new strategic deal with Iran. He already has the comprehensive treaty with North Korea. Whom do they make such deals against? Against you, against all of us. Against Europe, against America.
We must not forget about it. It is not by chance. These are their strategic priorities, and our priorities must match the challenge – in politics, and in defence, and in economy.
Such threats can only be countered together. Even when it comes to army size. Russia can field about 1.3-1.5 million troops. We’ve got more than 800,000 in our military. Second after us comes France, with over 200,000; then Germany, Italy and the UK. Everyone else has less. This isn’t a situation where one country can secure itself alone. It’s about all of us standing together to mean something.
MrStrange15 on
>And we need to make sure no European country is dependent on a single energy supplier – especially not Russia. Right now, things are on our side – President Trump is going to export more energy.
>But Europe needs to step up and do more long-term work to secure real energy independence. You can’t keep buying gas from Moscow while also expecting security guarantees, help, and backup from the Americans. That’s just wrong.
>For example, the Prime Minister of Slovakia is not seeking access to the US gas but does not lose hope to enjoy US security umbrella.
Interesting tactic, seems like he is basically trying to sic Trump (and his team) on Fico. I hope it works, but somehow I doubt that Fico, Orban and their ilk will ever really end up in Trump’s crosshairs.
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Ladies and gentlemen,
I want to talk about the future of Europe with you – which basically means the future of most people here.
Right now, all eyes are on Washington. But who’s actually watching Europe at the moment?
That’s the key question for Europe. And it’s not just about ideas. It’s about people, first of all. It’s about how they’ll live in a world that’s constantly changing.
Twenty hours ago, President Trump’s inauguration took place in Washington. And now everyone is waiting to see what he’ll do next. His first executive orders have already shown clear priorities.
Most of the world’s now thinking – so, what’s going happen to their relationship with America? What will happen to alliances? To support? To trade? How does President Trump plan to end wars?
But no-one is asking these kinds of questions about Europe. And we need to be honest about that.
When we in Europe look at the United States as our ally, it’s clear – they are an indispensable ally.
In times of war, everyone worries will the United States stay with them? Every ally worries about that. But does anyone in the United States worry that Europe might abandon them someday – might stop being their ally? The answer is ‘no’.
Washington does not believe Europe can bring them something that is really substantial.
I remember last year’s Asia Security Summit in Singapore – the Shangri-La Dialogue. There, representatives of the United States delegation openly said their top security priority is the Indo-Pacific region, the second is the Middle East and the Gulf, and only the third is Europe – and that was under the previous administration.
Will President Trump even notice Europe? Does he see NATO as necessary? And will he respect EU institutions?
Ladies and gentlemen, Europe can’t afford to be second or third in line for its allies. If that happens, the world will start moving forward without Europe, and that’s a world that will not be comfortable or beneficial for all Europeans.
Europe needs to compete for the top spot in priorities, alliances and technological development.
We’re at yet another turning point, which some see as a problem for Europe, but others call a chance. Europe must establish itself as a strong global player; as an indispensable player.
Let’s not forget – there’s no ocean separating European countries from Russia. And European leaders should remember this – battles involving North Korean soldiers are now happening in places geographically closer to Davos than to Pyongyang.
Russia is turning into a version of North Korea – a country where human life means nothing, but they have nuclear weapons and a burning desire to make their neighbours’ lives miserable.
Even though Russia’s overall economic potential is way smaller than Europe’s, it produces several times more ammo and military equipment than all of Europe combined. That’s exactly the path of wars Moscow chooses to take.
Putin signed the new strategic deal with Iran. He already has the comprehensive treaty with North Korea. Whom do they make such deals against? Against you, against all of us. Against Europe, against America.
We must not forget about it. It is not by chance. These are their strategic priorities, and our priorities must match the challenge – in politics, and in defence, and in economy.
Such threats can only be countered together. Even when it comes to army size. Russia can field about 1.3-1.5 million troops. We’ve got more than 800,000 in our military. Second after us comes France, with over 200,000; then Germany, Italy and the UK. Everyone else has less. This isn’t a situation where one country can secure itself alone. It’s about all of us standing together to mean something.
>And we need to make sure no European country is dependent on a single energy supplier – especially not Russia. Right now, things are on our side – President Trump is going to export more energy.
>But Europe needs to step up and do more long-term work to secure real energy independence. You can’t keep buying gas from Moscow while also expecting security guarantees, help, and backup from the Americans. That’s just wrong.
>For example, the Prime Minister of Slovakia is not seeking access to the US gas but does not lose hope to enjoy US security umbrella.
Interesting tactic, seems like he is basically trying to sic Trump (and his team) on Fico. I hope it works, but somehow I doubt that Fico, Orban and their ilk will ever really end up in Trump’s crosshairs.