The Daily Signal - Victor Davis Hanson: Why Won’t Europe Help ‘Rockstar’ Zelenskyy?

Episode Date: March 12, 2025

Europe treats Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy like a superstar, yet still expects the United States to fund Ukraine’s war against Russia. Is this fair? “ Of all the players in this drama, it's Europe who should be in the driver's seat. They have 500 million people,” says Victor Davis Hanson on this episode of “Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words.” “We have 500 million people in Europe and they're very upset that 330 million people across the ocean will not help 40 million people fighting 140 million people in Russia. In other words, of all the players in this drama, it's Europe who should be in the driver's seat. They have 500 million people. And yet, when we look at their expenditures, nine countries out of the 32, 11 years later, have not increased their NATO contributions to 2%. That's all we're asking for.” Don’t miss out on Victor’s latest videos by subscribing to The Daily Signal today. You’ll be notified every time a new piece of content drops: https://www.youtube.com/dailysignal?sub_confirmation=1 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I want to talk about Europe very briefly. Europe is greeting Mr. Zelensky as if he's a rock hero and giving us all sorts of dramatic melodramatic, psychodramatic pronouncements that they are going their own way because of the Trump isolationism. But let's look at that issue for a moment. We have 500 million people in Europe, and they're very upset that 330 million people cross the ocean

will not help 40 million people fighting 140 million people. in Russia. In other words, of all the players in this drama, it's Europe who should be in the driver's scene. They have 500 million people. This is Victor Davis Hansen for the Daily Signal. I want to talk about Europe very briefly. Europe is greeting Mr. Zelensky as if he's a rock hero and giving us all sorts of dramatic, melodramatic, psychodramatic pronouncements that they are going their own way because of the Trump isolationism and sometimes it's Trump Jacksonianism. They can't count on us.

And Ukraine was the catalyst, but let's look at that issue for a moment. We have 500 million people in Europe and they're very upset that 330 million people across the ocean will not help 40 million people fighting 140 million people in Russia. In other words, of all the players in this drama, it's Europe who should be in the driver's seat. They have 500 million people. And yet, when we look at their expenditures, nine countries out of the 32, 11 years later have not increased their NATO contributions to 2%. What should they be doing? They should be meeting with the Trump administration and telling the American people why countries in Europe

still won't meet their military responsibilities. They're also running a 200-plus billion-dollar trade surplus for the United States. They need to tell us, instead of just saying, we don't want to get in a tariff war, Trump is a protectionist, just explain to us why we in Europe believe that we deserve a $200 billion surplus each year with the United States. And maybe you could explain why your tariffs are not symmetrical, with ours. We just need to know. We need to know that very quickly, in fact. Another thing we need to know from Europe that we're not getting besides their surplus and the inability for all the NATO nations to meet their responsibilities and their promises of 11 years ago is what is the strategy for Ukraine. They're very angry that Donald Trump temporarily cut off some aid to Ukraine

to urge Mr. Zelensky to consider a truth so he can negotiate a more lasting peace and stop the Stalingrad slaughter between Ukraine and Russia. I don't even mean between Ukraine and Russia. It's basically caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine and they're on the defensive, but Ukraine has not been able strategically to show a pathway to strategic resolution and victory. But again, my interest and your interest, is what's the alternative position by Europe? Is that we have 500 million people? We're going to rearm. We're going to divide up task. Fens and fins have great artillery. They will supply the

artillery to Ukraine. The Swedes and the French have good air forces. They will supply to air cover. The Germans have a tradition of great tank making. They're not very productive in tank production today, but perhaps they'll promise to send 500 tanks and then outline a position or a trajectory or a pathway where they can force, apparently, Vladimir Putin, all the way back to where he was either in February 22 or maybe even 2014. But we don't get any of that. We don't get anything but rah-rah talk that we're all Europeans. We're not Donald Trump. We're going to stick together.

We're going to put boots in the ground. We have, what, logistical capacity, armor, air force. why can't they just get together and get a exact, detailed plan of military wherewithal, coupled with a strategy, coupled with a renewed commitment to meet their NATO promises, coupled with an explanation to the American people, why they feel that that $200-plus billion trade surplus is essential to Europe's survival, and it is not a result of asymmetrical and unfair. trade practices. That's all we're asking for. Thank you. This is Victor Davis-Hansson for the Daily Signal.

Thank you for watching today's podcast. And for more news like that, subscribe to the Daily Signal. Maybe you can check out my own website at victorhansen.com for podcast, lectures, ultra-series behind a paywall, but more importantly, just daily columns that are accessible and free to everyone. Thank you very much.