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Europe is leaving its security in the hands of a fraught U.S. presidential election, the CEO of one of the world\u2019s biggest aircraft makers says, arguing the continent is \u201csub-critical\u201d in several defense areas amid the backdrop of a potential all-out war with Russia.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
In an interview with the Guardian<\/em><\/a>, <\/em>Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said Europe wasn\u2019t ready for a potential conflict with Russia, and the election of NATO-skeptic Donald Trump would expose the bloc to a plethora of risks.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are coming from peacetime,\u201d Faury told the Guardian<\/em>. \u201cI don\u2019t think Europe has yet the level of preparedness that you would need for a conflict between Europe and Russia. Let\u2019s call a spade a spade. And it seems like Russia is ramping up its defense capabilities.\u201d<\/p>\n Faury, a former military helicopter test pilot<\/a>, explained that the West was coming out of a post-World War Two era where defense strategy was focused on deterrence rather than conflict, something that has changed since Russia invaded Ukraine two years ago.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, that 80-year period has coincided with Europe becoming more reliant on the might of an increasingly isolationist U.S.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve put a lot in the hands of others,\u201d Faury told the Guardian<\/em>. \u201cWe are sub-critical on most of the different systems in Europe, we don\u2019t collaborate enough to create investment at scale. We buy mostly from outside of Europe, and mostly from the US.\u201d<\/p>\n Faury told the Guardian<\/em> that Europe currently had the cushion of the military alliance NATO, but given the saber-rattling during the previous \u201cTrump 1\u201d presidency, the continent should be braced to lose that security blanket were he re-elected.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201c\u200b\u200bIf Trump 2 is of the same nature or even more in terms of the U.S. expecting Europe to take care of itself\u2026 we\u2019d better take it seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n Trump is the presumptive Republican nominee for the 2024 U.S. presidential election after his biggest rival, Nikki Haley, withdrew herself from the race<\/a> last week.\u00a0<\/p>\n Polls have shown that Americans favor the former President over incumbent Democrat President Joe Biden, increasing the genuine prospect of a second Trump term four years after he was voted out of the White House.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Trump has repeatedly voiced his disapproval of NATO, and in recent months, his rhetoric has escalated to perhaps its most aggressive on record.<\/p>\n Trump has threatened to pull the U.S. out of NATO if \u201cdelinquent\u201d<\/a> European nations keep failing to contribute 2% of their GDP to the alliance.<\/p>\n \u201cNo I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them to do whatever the hell they want. You gotta pay. You gotta pay your bills,\u201d Trump said of Russia at a rally in South Carolina in February.<\/p>\n A few days later, Trump was careful not to double down on encouraging Russia to attack the U.S.\u2019s allies but was steadfast in his threats<\/a> to pull the country out of NATO.<\/p>\n \u201cLook, if they\u2019re not going to pay, we\u2019re not going to protect. OK?\u201d Trump said.<\/p>\n Faury told the Guardian <\/em>that Europe needed to become more self-reliant for its military infrastructure, after decades of relying on U.S. makers like Lockheed Martin and Boeing.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s not just Europe\u2019s security arrangements that are on policymakers\u2019 minds in the event of a second Trump term, but also its economy.\u00a0<\/p>\n In January, European Central Bank (ECB) chief Christine Lagarde said Trump\u2019s potential re-election posed a \u201cclear threat\u201d<\/a> to Europe and the continent\u2019s economy.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou just have to look at the trade tariffs; you just have to look at his commitment regarding NATO; you just have to look at his attitude regarding the battle against climate change.<\/p>\n \u201cIn these three areas alone, in the past, U.S. interests were not aligned with those of Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\nNATO\u2019s looming Trump threat<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Europe\u2019s flagging economy<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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