FT: The major threats to Europe - Russia and Donald Trump

It is claimed that the USA, under the leadership of the newly elected President Donald Trump, as well as Russia, pose a serious threat to the security of European countries, writes the British newspaper Financial Times.

The newspaper notes that the "security crisis" in the EU in 2025 could be caused by two things. The first is the potential threat from Russia, and the second is “the growing indifference of the US under Donald Trump“.

“European countries must urgently respond to this worrying geopolitical combination by building their own defences“, the publication states.

According to calculations by the Financial Times, in order to cover the shortfall in NATO's defence budget that could arise if the next US president decides to reduce funding for the alliance, EU countries will be forced to increase their allocation to 4.5 percent of GDP instead of the expected 3 percent.

Furthermore, the article notes that Germany, as the leading economy in Europe, is obliged to increase defence spending, despite the concerns of its neighbours.

“Even 80 years after the end of World War II, some of Germany's neighbours will be concerned about the strengthening of the army of this country, but in the interests of their own security they must come to terms with this“, the authors of the publication point out.

Earlier, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that he was ready to cooperate with Donald Trump, who won the US presidential race, noting that European countries should strengthen security cooperation. The Chancellor gave Germany as an example, noting that it already spends two percent of GDP on defense.