Financial Times: “Russia intends to double the number of its troops stationed along its border with the Baltic states and Finland as it prepares for a potential military conflict with NATO within the next decade, according to Estonia’s foreign intelligence service.”
The UK or France alone could devastate Russia. Poland could hold it’s own in a defensive war easily. Turkey could also fuck them up completely.
If war started in Europe the Russians would be fucked by combined EU forces.
Europe doesn’t NEED America to defend itself.
War isn’t won by forces alone, you also need the economy, morale and political wherewithal to endure and survive the destruction.
Neither EU country could stomach a prolonged war, possibly only the Baltics and Finland are at all prepared for a couple years of war, and won’t be able to supply their troops for that long without US support.
Case in point, Europe is giving about half of the total aid for Ukraine, but almost none of the armaments even though it would be far more preferable for relations, training, logistics, and defence. Part of it is that they don’t keep stockpiles, part is that they don’t have the industry to replace ammunition, neither of which bodes well for a prolonged conflict.