“War is no longer a concept from the past. It is real, and it started over two years ago. The most worrying thing at the moment is that literally any scenario is possible. We haven’t seen a situation like this since 1945,” Tusk said in an interview with the European media grouping LENA on Friday.
“I know it sounds devastating, especially for the younger generation, but we have to get used to the fact that a new era has begun: the pre-war era. I’m not exaggerating; it’s becoming clearer every day.”
The former European Council president’s comments came soon after the two-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The war upended an era of peace in Europe and pushed nations into ramping up weapons production.
Tusk further said that no one in Europe would feel safe if Kyiv lost the war.
The comparison to the pre-war stage of ww2 is an obvious one to make. The aggressor is invading and Europe is acting like they’re not at war, again.
Exactly. Further to the ‘pre-war’ comment, I’d suggest it started when they took Crimea. I think they were warming up with Chechnya and Georgia.
Meanwhile our politicians bicker and squabble about what toilets people should be using.
Toilets? Can’t be real right?
ohhh in this way, I get it now, I thought they were debating on the object, eg mandatories bidet or whatsoever
but yeah it’s still quite stupid. Not the subject but why would you separate the toilet by gender in the first place
Would you be surprised to learn that the answer is sexism?
interesting reading thanks! Which confirms the stupidity of separated bathrooms
The aggressor is invading and Europe is acting like they’re not at war, again.
The Phoney War wasn’t so much countries pretending that they weren’t at war as it was countries preparing for war. The Axis had started arming themselves sooner; the Allies wanted to have enough time to build up.
so it’s worse now?
Arguably, yes, because it seems like everyone analogous to the Allies this time around can’t agree on anything and are simultaneously having to deal with a lot of hostile propaganda/manipulation, up to and including quisling politicians in our governments (sometimes entire governments, really) and hostile foreign service agents.
TL;DR: we’ve learned nothing
To be fair, back then they didn’t have to also contend with hostile propaganda saturating their political discourse like we have on social media.
Instead, Europe initially leaned in to becoming more dependent on the aggressor for natural gas.
If only there were some way we could make sure Ukraine is able to make the invaders fuck off.
Oh well. Best continue delivering tiny amounts of outdated hardware with great delay.
Europe has donated around ~$150 billion USD (including from member states). That’s almost an entire year’s EU budget, over 20x the ESA’s annual budget (wtf), and over 20x the EU’s 6-year contribution to ITER (double wtf).
The money comes from somewhere and Europe is broke.
The US needs to stop shirking their duty, and send the military in. They are making an absolute fortune off LNG and weapons exports, they should take the responsibility to help.
EDIT: Also rich for Poland to complain about this when they are the biggest leech of EU funds in the Union. It’s absurd that there are only ~9 net contributors to begin with.
Europe isn’t broke, the rich countries are stingy. 150 billion is not much for an economy of 19 trillion - in fact it’s not even 1%
Money is nice, it enables Ukraine to keep paying its public servants, but what they really need is modern military hardware, and lots of it. Europe alone has enough if they just delivered it. The USA with their absolutely massive military not helping at the moment is a prolem too, obviously, but we Europeans can no longer rely on them, as they’re apparently insane enough to elect someone like Trump, who said many times he doesn’t give a shit.
That 19 trillion isn’t spendable money at all though. Learn the difference between GDP and a budget.
We’re already at high inflation, high interest rates and little to no growth - the situation is extremely precarious in Europe. We could easily end up like Argentina or Turkey.
That 19 trillion isn’t spendable money at all though. Learn the difference between GDP and a budget.
You learn being a nice person. Your arrogance and condescension is uncalled for.
Comparing state expenditures as a percentage of GDP is widespread: contributions of EU member states to the EU budget is defined as a percentage of their GDP, as is the NATO defence spending target.
We’re already at high inflation, high interest rates and little to no growth - the situation is extremely precarious in Europe. We could easily end up like Argentina or Turkey.
Nah, not really.
Awwww not your feelings.
I really like how you took the comment into consideration and added to the conversation instead of just jumping in and trying to start shit.
Oh I considered what his comment was worth in context. Fucking near zero just whining.
Dude, inflation just got back under control, we’re at like 2.6% annual. Growth was never much different than now, the US is back where it was during the 2010s.
The situation might be precarious, but it’s more because of asset inflation and the related housing inflation, rather than an economy being strained to the brink. And of course the political problems.
TBH the bigger question is whether the EU will find the willingness to help, not the money.
All of GDP is spendable if the will is there. It’s not at the moment, but let’s see how this decade turns out.
GDP isn’t state-owned - we aren’t a Communist state (thankfully) - and any attempt to get close to that would destroy the GDP.
All property is potentially subject to government seizure. Just like we’re all military reservists. These things are implicit, and we just hope and pray it won’t come to that. But total war is definitely on the cards this decade, at least for some countries.
The US needs to stop shirking their duty, and send the military in
Bro just casually suggested WWIII
Last time it took a while for USA to get involved. History has a bad habit of repeating itself.
That’s almost an entire year’s EU budget
Not to detract from the numbers but the EU budget is tiny, all things considered. For comparison: France and Germany have state budgets of ~1.5 trillion each. The EU doesn’t have a military, very limited police forces (mostly just FRONTEX), it doesn’t run welfare and health systems and the only pensions it pays out are to its own civil servants. A good 130 billion are cohesion funds and agricultural/environmental subsidies, the rest has to get by on 20bn. Which is higher than, but in the same ballpark of, Hamburg’s state budget. Probably lower actually if you include all the brick+mortar and shipping stuff Hamburg owns their turnover doesn’t count towards the state budget.
You dont understand money system tbh
As former Polish president, Lech Kaczyński, said in 2008:
And we also know very well that today Georgia, tomorrow Ukraine, the day after tomorrow the Baltic States, and then maybe it’s time for my country, Poland!
full text of his speech
Ladies and Gentlemen!
We are here to express total solidarity. We are here the leaders of five countries: Poland, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. We are here to take up the fight. For the first time in a long time, our neighbors from the north, and for us also from the north and the east, showed the face we have known for hundreds of years.
These neighbors believe that the nations around them should be subject to them. We say no! This country is Russia. This country believes that the old days of the empire that fell less than 20 years ago are coming back. That domination will again be a feature of this region. Well, it won’t be. These times are over once and for all. Not for twenty, thirty or fifty years!
We all experienced this dominance at the same time, or in slightly different periods. This is a disaster for all of Europe. It is breaking human characters, it is imposing a foreign system, it is imposing a foreign language. But how is the situation different today from that of many years ago? Today we are here together. Today the world had to react, even if it was reluctant to do so. And we are here to make this world react even more strongly. In particular the European Union and NATO.
When I initiated this visit, some people thought that the presidents would be afraid. Nobody was afraid. Everyone came because Central Europe has brave leaders. And I would like to say it not only to you, I would also like to say it to those from our common European Union, that Central Europe, Georgia, that our entire region will count, that we are an entity. And we also know very well that today Georgia, tomorrow Ukraine, the day after tomorrow the Baltic States, and then maybe it’s time for my country, Poland!
We were deeply convinced that membership in NATO and the EU would end the period of Russian appetites. It turned out that it was not, that it was a mistake. But we can oppose it if the values on which Europe is supposed to be based have any practical significance. If they are to matter, we must be here, all of Europe must be here. There are four NATO countries here. There is Ukraine, a great country.
There is President Sarkozy, currently the President of the European Council, but there should be 27 of them here. We believe that Europe will understand your right to freedom and will also understand its interests. He will understand that without Georgia, Russia will restore its empire, and this is not in anyone’s interest.
That’s why we are here!
He was right in this one, but still a scumbag
This is the best summary I could come up with:
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that there was a “real” threat of conflict in Europe and that the continent has entered a “pre-war era” for the first time since World War II.
World War II ended in 1945 with the surrender of Hitler’s Germany and the US bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The former European Council president’s comments came soon after the two-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The war upended an era of peace in Europe and pushed nations into ramping up weapons production.
The Polish prime minister noted a revolution in European mentality, as no one anymore questions the need for a common defense.
The need for a stronger Europe has come further into the spotlight as former US President Donald Trump, who is running for the 2024 elections, has openly expressed NATO-sceptic views.
The original article contains 324 words, the summary contains 137 words. Saved 58%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!
