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By Isabel van Brugen
News Reporter
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European officials are working to put together a multibillion dollar package aimed at boosting collective security in the region and supporting Ukraine in what will be the largest of its kind so far, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said over the weekend.
Newsweek has contacted the German Foreign Ministry for additional comment via email.
Why It Matters
President Donald Trump is starting negotiations with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on potentially bringing a swift end to the nearly three-year war in Ukraine.
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NATO member states are raising concerns over Europe's collective security, warning of the urgent need to bolster defenses against the risk of Russian aggression extending beyond Ukraine's borders.
What To Know
Speaking to Bloomberg on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany, which ran from February 14 to 16, Baerbock said the huge defense package "has never been seen in this dimension before."
German daily newspaper Berliner Zeitung reported that Baerbock said the package could be worth some 700 billion euros ($732 billion); however, that figure wasn't in the Bloomberg article cited by the publication at the time of writing.
"Similar to the euro or the corona crisis, there is now a financial package for security in Europe. That will come in the near future," Baerbock said.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the package would prioritize military training, accelerating aid efforts, arms deliveries, and focus on what security guarantees Ukraine's European allies could provide.
The spending plans will be unveiled after the German election on February 23, Bloomberg reported, citing officials briefed on the package details.
Trump has warned that European nations must take greater responsibility for their collective security, adding that NATO member states should ramp up their defense spending to 5 percent of their GDP.
"The overall consensus was that the United States was no longer going to foot the bill for NATO security," Representative Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican, told Bloomberg. "Our European allies recognize that it is time for them to step up to the plate in their own backyard."
Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene told Bloomberg Television that the "realization that it's not the U.S. which will defend Europe, but Europe defending ourselves with help from the U.S.," would drastically reshape the security landscape across the continent.
"We need to spend on defense fast, and a lot; hundreds of billions need to be spent immediately," Sakaliene said. "We will all have to move fast, Germany included."
The U.K. newspaper Financial Times reported on Monday that Trump intends to give in to Putin's demands to withdraw U.S. troops from former Soviet nations, including the Baltics.
"European officials believe Trump is likely to agree to withdraw U.S. troops from the Baltics and perhaps further west, leaving the EU vulnerable to a Russian army that NATO governments warn is preparing for a larger conflict beyond Ukraine," the newspaper reported.
What People Are Saying
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told Bloomberg on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany: "We will launch a large package that has never been seen in this dimension before. Similar to the euro or the corona crisis, there is now a financial package for security in Europe. That will come in the near future."
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said in a piece for The Telegraph, published Sunday: "We are facing a once-in-a-generation moment for the collective security of our continent. This is not only a question about the future of Ukraine—it is existential for Europe as a whole.
"Securing a lasting peace in Ukraine that safeguards its sovereignty for the long term is essential if we are to deter Putin from further aggression in the future."
What Happens Next
Officials from Russia and the U.S. are in Saudi Arabia to hold talks on the war in Ukraine, without Ukrainian officials present. Kyiv has voiced frustrations about being sidelined from high-stakes negotiations that will shape its own future.
Observers of the conflict are concerned Trump may strike a deal with Putin that pressures Ukraine to abandon its aspirations to join NATO and cede its currently occupied territories, effectively capitulating to Moscow's demands.
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