EU Leaders Set 2030 Deadline for Full Capability to Defend Against Russia

European Union leaders are now in agreement that the EU must be fully capable of defending itself against a Russian attack by 2030, despite earlier resistance to the deadline from some countries, Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on March 21.

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Europe is dramatically stepping up spending on defence because of concern that the US, which had guaranteed Europe's security since the end of World War II, is no longer keen to do so, shifting its attention to the Indo-Pacific.

But not all EU countries are equally committed to higher defence spending, especially those geographically farther from Russia.

Speaking after a summit of EU leaders that discussed the EU's plan to step up defence readiness, Mr Tusk said countries now spending less than others on defence had been reluctant to accept the five-year scheme proposed by the European Commission.