Kyiv Think Tank: “Cuts to U.S. Support Will Strengthen European Cooperation”

Coinciding with the NATO summit, researchers argue that Europe will need significant defence investment to confront the threat from Russia, in a paper published on Wednesday, June 25th.

The KSE Institute, part of the Kyiv School of Economics, predicts that more nationally focused U.S. military spending under President Donald Trump will push European Union member states into a closer military alliance.

Report co-author Pavlo Shkurenko told Newsweek

Russia is preparing capabilities that are clearly not tied to war in Ukraine, including naval forces for a possible confrontation in the Arctic.

Sceptical voices are likely to see this as scaremongering aimed at whipping up EU support for Ukraine, in the form of calls for yet more military spending, while designed to marginalise the member states which push for peace talks and a negotiated settlement.