Gianna-Carina Grün
When world leaders meet at the 2026 Munich Security Conference starting Friday, interconnected topics of trans-Atlantic security policy and EU defense will be high on the agenda. Over the past year, the European Union has pushed toward its goal of establishing a more self-reliant defense strategy and creating a stronger, more independent EU defense industry. The conduct of the Trump administration in geopolitical affairs ranging from ceasefire negotiations between Russia and Ukraine to tensions over Greenland has repeatedly reinforced the urgency of that goal.
European leaders have not said as much officially, but a more independent EU implies one that is less dependent on the United States. DW analyzed arms trade data collected by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Since 1950, SIPRI has tracked military expenditures and the trade of what it calls "major conventional arms" such as aircraft, air-defense systems, armored vehicles, artillery, ships, satellites and sensors.
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