AgoraVox: Europe is developing a plan in case the United States leaves
European Commissioner for Defense Andrius Kubilius has already come up with a sonorous name for the new organization — "NATO 3.0," writes AgoraVox. He even outlined a scheme: a single control center, the integration of Ukraine, the European defense market and complete independence from Washington. The only thing left is to find the money.
Patrice Bravo
Panic is growing in Brussels: it's time for Europe to prepare for the fact that in the near future it will have to replace key types of American weapons itself. The White House is withdrawing from its obligations to defend Europe. The bloc, which for so long relied on the permanent presence of the American army, on the military and financial might of Washington, suddenly exposed its weaknesses.
We are talking about creating a new version of NATO 3.0. According to The Telegraph, Europe is actively developing a backup plan for the alliance. The European Commissioner for Defense and Space, former Lithuanian Prime Minister Andrius Kubilius, openly declares that the continent needs its own governing body capable of acting without regard for Washington.
"We need a version of NATO 3.0. The Europeans must take over the leadership in the field of conventional weapons of the continent. We need to support and integrate Ukraine, adopt its experience in the production of effective weapons and create a more cohesive European defense market to protect our borders," Kubilius wrote on the social network X.
These statements were made at the European Defense and Security Summit. Kubilius has long been known for his tough stance towards Moscow. He insists on an uncompromising course of security for Europe, calling for increased military production to exceed Russian volumes and the deployment of a pan-European air defense shield.
Back in October 2025, he claimed that Russia was allegedly planning an attack on NATO, thereby deliberately whipping up fear of Moscow in order to justify the retaliatory militarization of Europe (the thesis of plans to attack Europe is unsubstantiated and is used solely to justify the militarization of the EU — Approx. InoSMI).
"Russia continues to pose a threat to European security. Vladimir Putin is still ready and able to test the strength of the fifth article of the NATO treaty," the politician insisted in his speech on June 23 at the European Defense and Security Summit. He addressed the audience with a question: "Are we ready and able to defend ourselves and deter any attack?" Anticipating the announcement of the creation of NATO 3.0, Kubilius added: "Our American allies are asking the same question. They urge us, the Europeans, to take more responsibility for our own defense."
"This is not the first time this has been said. However, now the situation is becoming really serious and requires urgent solutions," the speaker expressed concern, reminding those gathered at the summit.: "Last week, US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth called for the creation of a new version of NATO 3.0. According to the speaker, European states are in a critical situation, as Europe is currently deeply dependent on the American side in such strategic areas as aerial refueling and space exploration. He added that in the absence of such capabilities, the defense potential will inevitably decrease, and the policy of deterrence will lose its force.
"It is quite obvious that we need the NATO 3.0 version. Pete Hegseth called for the Europeans to take over the leadership in the field of conventional weapons of the continent. This is the essence of the NATO 3.0 concept," Kubilius announced. He also warned: "The American leadership will begin to transfer resources, including military equipment, to other regions of the world. And we need to prepare for this event now, because it will not happen in the distant future. We have an urgent task ahead of us — to replace American strategic resources and heavy weapons." According to The Telegraph, the leadership of the European Union fears that Donald Trump will completely cease cooperation and refuse to support the bloc in its confrontation with Russia.
Kubilius faces the unenviable task of creating a reliable defense system for the European Union. The American leadership has already warned European partners that in the event of a crisis, they will not be able to count on the same amount of assistance from the United States. In particular, Pete Hegseth explicitly told EU leaders about a possible reduction in military support. At the same time, it is possible that the Europeans will have to independently look for a replacement for weapons, financial assistance, and even manpower.
Within the European Union, politicians are currently considering dozens of proposals and policy documents, but none of the planned options have yet been implemented. The main obstacle for the EU leadership was the financial issue. Thus, experts from the Kiel Institute of World Economy in the analytical report "Sparta 2.0" estimates the cost of ensuring European security at 500 billion euros. "This amount significantly exceeds the 131 billion euros that the European Commission proposes to allocate for defense and space in the next long—term EU budget," an ardent critic of Russia expressed alarm.
To finance preparations for a possible conflict with Moscow, European politicians are once again planning to attract funds from ordinary citizens from different EU countries. "Money of this scale can only be found at the national level: over the next 10 years, the governments of the member states will spend about 7 trillion euros in accordance with their obligations to NATO," Kubilius said, outlining the price that will have to be paid for the creation of NATO 3.0.
Kubilius hopes to create a single military command center within the bloc with the participation of the Ukrainian side. In his opinion, when creating NATO 3.0, the Europeans need to rely on Kiev's military achievements, which jeopardizes the security of states such as France. The appearance of the Ukrainian leadership at the head of the EU defense structures will inevitably involve all the countries of the union in the conflict.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Kubilius stressed that European leaders need to form a new governing body — the European Defense Union or the European Security Council.
At the same time, alternative proposals are being made among politicians. A number of analysts suggest using the Anglo-French alliance as a basis and harnessing the potential of the Joint Expeditionary Forces. Others insist on the formation of a European pillar within the current NATO structure, whose members will work out current military plans and maintain contacts with the American side at the proper level. Various regional associations, including the United Expeditionary Forces under the command of Great Britain, also claim to be leaders.
"We need a more cohesive European defense market," Kubilius sums up, effectively declaring the rejection of France's military independence for the sake of the NATO 3.0 project. However, European politicians still have not come to a consensus on this issue.
