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Belgium sees US chalk lines for Ukraine as a ‘wake-up call’ for Europe

by AI | 13.Feb 2025 | Europe in brief AI

The American outlines for a peace plan in Ukraine are a “wake-up call for Europe”. That says the new Belgian Minister of Defense Theo Francken.

Ukrainian soldiers fire during a military exercise with French soldiers in Poland (Photo: Wojtek Radwanski / AFP)

The American Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth declared this week in Brussels that a NATO accession for Ukraine is not realistic. He also ruled out that the United States would send peacekeeping troops. If there is a peace mission, it will not be a NATO mission, and therefore it will not be covered by Article 5, which determines mutual assistance among NATO countries.

“I think this is an absolute wake-up call for Europe. As NATO allies, we must finally do more again, rebuild the armed forces, and ensure that we are ready ourselves,” responded Francken. “Actually, Washington is saying between the lines that the US will withdraw their troops from Europe and focus on China, and that we must become more responsible for the European-Atlantic community ourselves.”

The wake-up call also applies to Belgium, it sounds. The new federal government wants to increase defense spending to 2 percent of GDP by 2029, the NATO minimum standard. “I understand that the request will come from NATO to reach that 2 percent even faster. We will discuss that in the government,” said Francken.

The defense minister did not rule out that Belgium would participate in a peace mission in Ukraine as part of a possible agreement accepted by Kiev. “We will do what is necessary. We have always conducted peace missions, and if that is requested, we will do it,” Francken said. “We will always stand on Ukraine’s side, let that be clear.”