Urgent rearmament within four years: Europe faces an unavoidable path
Europe is set, over the next four years, on an unavoidable path that may shape the future of the continent, but one that requires considerable effort and high expenditure.
The Belgian Chief of the General Staff, Frédéric Vansina, stressed the need for European countries to urgently strengthen their defense capabilities, estimating that they have around four years to build sufficient deterrence capacity against Russia without American support.
According to Military Watch Magazine, Vansina emphasized the importance of European rearmament over the next four years, stating that Ukraine “is buying us time, which is why we strongly support it.”
Vansina said: “We hope the war in Ukraine will end. At that point, Russia will have an army of between 650,000 and 700,000 experienced soldiers. Therefore, by 2030, we must be able to tell Russian President Vladimir Putin that he will not be able to win a war against Europe.”
He added that “a significant increase in defense spending is necessary to prepare European countries for a possible future confrontation with Russia.”
On several occasions, French President Emmanuel Macron has stated that deploying larger ground forces in Ukraine is not ruled out, as part of a policy aimed at “doing whatever is necessary to prevent Russia from winning this war.”
In November 2024, the Chair of the Military Committee of NATO, Admiral Rob Bauer, revealed that Alliance members were prepared to wage a full-scale war against Russia.
Vansina’s statement comes as multiple Russian government sources have issued explicit warnings regarding the production and supply of attack drones to Ukraine.
These sources also indicated that the relevant facilities in Europe could become targets.
Recently, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev stated that these facilities could be considered “potential targets” for the Russian armed forces.
Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense published a list of companies and facilities across Europe involved in manufacturing drones or their components, warning that supplying drones to Ukraine “draws Europe into deeper involvement in the war.”
At the same time, Germany and Poland have led the rapid rearmament drive across the European continent. Poland has mainly relied on purchasing equipment from South Korea and the United States, while Germany has focused on domestically produced equipment.
After the German army inaugurated the 45th Armored Brigade on May 22, 2025, stationed in Vilnius, less than 800 kilometers from Moscow, local media reported in early July 2025 that the Ministry of Defense was also considering plans to purchase several hundred new Leopard 2 A8 main battle tanks.
Later, plans were confirmed to acquire up to 3,000 Boxer armored personnel carriers and up to 3,500 Patria infantry fighting vehicles.
