USA, Wilkie: “Trump reiterated strategic ambiguity on Taiwan”

On the European front, Wilkie outlined a severe picture of the major powers for Adnkronos. “The British Army can all fit inside Wembley Stadium. The Royal Navy has 10 destroyers, yet they couldn’t send a ship to defend their base in Cyprus from potential Iranian attacks.” France spends little, despite its promises. And Italy (with which Wilkie has a direct family link, having the maternal surname Gambino) is not exempt from criticism: “Admiral Cavo Dragone said that the Italian armed forces are below the survival threshold. Italy is a rich country, and I understand that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has political pressure not to spend too much on armaments. But declaring oneself in defense of Ukraine is not enough to guarantee European security.”

The paradox that Wilkie underlined is historical and geographical at the same time: it is not the rich countries of Western Europe that invest the most in defense, but those of the East. “They are not the countries of the West, they are those who experienced both the fascist boot and the hammer and sickle. It is there, in memory, that true deterrence is found”, he concluded to Adnkronos.