Risk of war in Europe: Are we facing a new conflict?

Risk of war in Europe: Are we facing a new conflict?

In the middle of growing, the aggression of Russia and the unpredictable foreign policy under Donald Trump are concerned with European states on massive armaments investments. In Austria, too, an increase in armor expenditure is discussed in order to better defend the Federal Army for Defense. On Sunday, March 23, 2025, the program “Das Aversung” on ORF 2 debates about important questions about security policy, such as the need for more weapons for peace and the length of the military service. The round includes top-class participants, including Marie-Eges Strack-Zimmermann, chair of the EU Parliament's Defense Committee, and military expert Franz-Stefan Gady, like APA-OTS reported.

military upgrading in Europe

experts raise the alarm: "With the developments of the past few days, the risk of a further war has increased in Europe," warned political scientist Carlo Masala. In conversations with Putin, Trump gave the impression that Ukraine, a sovereign state, is left out in the negotiations. This means that the European nations have little influence on the negotiations. According to Masala, a solution could only be possible with US security guarantees for Ukraine-but specific promises are not in sight. Without this support, Europeans may have to mobilize up to 300,000 additional soldiers and invest around 250 billion euros a year to counter Russian military violence, as reported.

The situation is precarious: "We are facing the most critical situation since the end of World War II," said Masala. This is forced to develop a strategy to secure its defense in order to be taken seriously in the future. Bundesheer Colonel Markus Reisner notes that without the support of the United States, the European countries are hardly able to pursue an effective defense course. The separation of the European armed forces is another obstacle because they are distributed over 28 national armies and make a coordinated reaction difficult.