European countries need another 300,000 soldiers to defend themselves against Russia in the event of war without US support. This is reported by the Brussels-based research institute Bruegel and the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW).

The EU countries would need about 250 billion euros of additional military expenditures annually.

The discussion about creating their own European defense system has heated up because the security guarantee from NATO under US President Donald Trump seems less reliable, Bild writes.

At the same time, Russia is increasing its armed forces. “Russia could in the next three to ten years acquire military power sufficient to attack EU countries,” said study co-author Guntram Wolff.