UK Must Urgently Accelerate Defence Cooperation with EU Despite Current Slow Progress
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/editorial. "The Guardian view on UK-EU defence: moving in the right direction, much too slowly | Editorial | The Guardian." February 18, 2026. www.theguardian.com
The Gist
The Guardian argues that Russia remains a serious threat to Europe and the UK needs to work much more closely with EU countries on defence. However, the UK government is moving too slowly - they talk about cooperation but haven't actually joined key EU defence programs or increased spending fast enough.
Conclusion
The UK must act with greater urgency to accelerate defence and security cooperation with European allies, moving beyond rhetoric to concrete action
Premises
- Putin remains committed to territorial expansion and will likely resume aggression after any temporary ceasefire in Ukraine
- Russia is conducting a sustained campaign of provocations against European democracies including sabotage, cyber-attacks, and disinformation
- There is no British security without Europe, and no European security without Britain
- The UK failed to join the EU's €140bn Security Action for Europe programme due to disagreements over financial contributions
- The government has not delivered on its defence investment commitments, with promised plans delayed by budget constraints
- Defence investment can generate economic growth that improves the fiscal situation rather than simply diverting resources
Assumptions
- Putin cannot be trusted to honor any peace agreements
- Deterrence requires concrete military capabilities and cooperation, not just diplomatic statements
- Brexit has weakened UK security by reducing cooperation with European allies
- The current pace of UK defence cooperation with the EU is insufficient given the threat level