Importantly, the 2022 invasion of Ukraine marked a Zeitenwende (or “turning point”), with Olaf Scholz, the chancellor, promising an instant €100 billion investment to fill munitions and equipment shortages.
Since then, Berlin has spent more over €60 billion on ammunition and missiles since February 2022, and €30–40 billion on F-35A fighters and other weapons provided by the US.
Returning to Eastern Europe, defense is viewed as an absolute requirement rather than a “nice-to-have” in these countries.
Over the previous five years, many nations’ defense budgets have risen or even tripled. Why, therefore, does the UK today seem more like a laggard than a leader in Europe?
One of the main causes is what I refer to as the “1,700km duvet.” Russia would have to travel through Finland and the Baltic nations before crossing.
