Peace in Europe cannot be achieved by ignoring reality. Peace can only be secured through a strong and free Ukraine within a strong Europe. Otherwise, Putin will continue to spread his war – even to us. And we do not know today whether we can still rely on our US friends for our defence.

That is why we Europeans must be able to ensure our own security and further strengthen our European deterrence capabilities – with all the means at our disposal. We must not underestimate Putin’s aggressive imperialism. If Europe is weak, Putin’s troops will be in the Baltic region or in our neighbouring country Poland faster than we can imagine today.

Europe’s defence can only succeed if we think big and act boldly. In view of the historic crossroads that we are at, we need investments on an unprecedented scale. During the COVID 19 pandemic, we saw what Europe is capable of when it is literally a matter of life and death – and this joint effort is also needed now. It would therefore be an important step to ease the EU’s Stability and Growth Pact so that the member states can further increase their national defence spending. For some countries, especially those that already have a high level of national debt and little financial leeway in their budgets, this will not be enough, however. That is why we need a European defence fund that meets the scale of the challenge. In addition, we urgently need to make our joint procurement even more strategic and to rapidly integrate the European defence industry more closely so that each country contributes its particular national strength.

Only a strong and, above all, self-confident Europe will be able to stand its ground in this new world. With this in mind, the French President not only clearly presented our European interests in Washington, but also made it clear that we Europeans are making a vital contribution to joint transatlantic security. And we should not shy away from continuing to expand this as much as possible.