Germany, Friedrich Merz, Olaf Scholz, European Union, European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, Europe, Donald Trump, Economics, Ukraine, Russia, World news Business | The Guardian
The chancellor-elect’s proposals for gamechanging spending on defence and infrastructure are the right response to a new eraThree days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, created a £100bn special fund to modernise Germany’s armed forces. Vladimir Putin’s aggression, he told a stunned Bundestag in explanation, meant that Europe was living through a Zeitenwende, or turning point.Mr Scholz was right. But it has taken the return of Donald Trump to the White House to lay bare the full scale of the emerging threat to European values, security and economic interests. For leaders across the continent, the dawning realisation of what Trump 2.0 means for the transatlantic alliance constitutes a second historic moment of jeopardy and decision.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading…
The chancellor-elect’s proposals for gamechanging spending on defence and infrastructure are the right response to a new era
Three days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, created a £100bn special fund to modernise Germany’s armed forces. Vladimir Putin’s aggression, he told a stunned Bundestag in explanation, meant that Europe was living through a Zeitenwende, or turning point.
Mr Scholz was right. But it has taken the return of Donald Trump to the White House to lay bare the full scale of the emerging threat to European values, security and economic interests. For leaders across the continent, the dawning realisation of what Trump 2.0 means for the transatlantic alliance constitutes a second historic moment of jeopardy and decision.
Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
