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Transcript/ScriptFOR USAGM SHARE
((TITLE: Ukraine EU-Defense (TV)
HEAD: Ukraine War Galvanizes EU Military Drive
TEASER: Member states are boosting defense spending and goals for the first time in years
PUBLISHED AT: Wednesday, 03/09/2022 4:30 pm
BYLINE: Lisa Bryant
DATELINE: Paris
CAMERA: Lisa Bryant
VIDEO EDITOR/PRODUCER: Rob Raffaele
SCRIPT EDITORS: BR, MAS
VIDEO FROM: VOA, AFP, Reuters, Other (see courtesy)
TRT: 2:57
APPROVED BY: BR
TYPE: TVPKG
UPDATE: ))
((INTRO))
[[With the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a European Union summit later this week (Thursday/Friday) aims to assert the bloc’s energy independence from Russia — and strengthen its collective defense. The EU is one of the world’s top economic heavyweights — but could it be a military one as well? For VOA, Lisa Bryant reports from Paris. ]]
((NARRATOR))
Versailles Palace outside Paris. A century ago, leaders signed a treaty here, ending the first world War. But it also laid the foundation for World War Two.
European Union heads of state will meet here this week. They hope to avoid yet another major war on the continent – partly by beefing up the military muscle of the 27-member bloc.
A strong European defense is a longstanding goal of President Emmanuel Macron of France, which currently heads the rotating EU presidency. In an address last week, he said Europe could no longer depend on others to defend it.
((NARRATOR))
Yet until Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, European defense had not been a top priority for other European leaders.
((Radio Track: Sebastien Maillard is the director of the Jacques Delors Institute Director in Paris. ))
((Sebastien Maillard, Jacques Delors Institute Director (in English - VOA original)
“The war that broke out in Ukraine has provoked a shock in our European consciousness about what is our duty toward this country. And perhaps we Europeans are realizing that they should pay more for their own protection.”
((NARRATOR))
European countries — even once-neutral ones like Sweden— are now sending weapons and other military equipment to Ukraine. In a groundbreaking move, the EU as whole is financing the purchase of weapons to a country under attack.
Some non-NATO EU members are considering joining the transatlantic alliance. Many are ramping up their defense spending for the first time in years. For Germany, it’s a dramatic shift of its post-World War II policy.
((Radio Track: Ursula von der Leyen is the European Commission President))
((Ursula Von Der Leyen, European Commission President (in English) ))
((Mandatory cg: European Commission))
“European security and defense has evolved more in the last six days than in the last two decades.”
((NARRATOR))
Others are also applauding the change. The United States has long pushed for greater European spending on NATO defense.
But the EU is also drafting a military strategy independent of Washington. Leaders like Macron say it aims to complement NATO. But experts say it’s also shaped by the EU’s rocky relationship with the Trump administration and differences over Washington’s pullout over Afghanistan.
((Radio Track: Again, analyst Sebastien Maillard.))
((Sebastien Maillard, Jacques Delors Institute Director (in English - VOA original)
“We sort of realized that perhaps the Americans will not always be there for our own security and that we should care for our own security.”
((NARRATOR))
But some question whether Europe’s military drive will be lasting.
((Radio Track: Martin Quencez is the deputy director at the German Marshall Fund’s Paris office))
((Martin Quencez, German Marshall Fund Paris Office (in English ))
((Mandatory cg: Skype))
“I remain cautious. I don’t think that we should underestimate what has been said by the German leaders and others this past week, but I think it is too early to say that Europe has awakened.”
((NARRATOR))
And it will take years, experts say, for Europe to build up its defense — too long to make a difference in today’s war in Ukraine.
((Lisa Bryant, for VOA News, Paris))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateMarch 9, 2022 16:42 EST
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
