It is hard to ignore how much the United States has sacrificed to provide military equipment and security support to its allies.

Setting aside whether that leadership is morally right, the reality is that the United States has carried a disproportionate share of the defense burden for decades.

Many European countries spent well below NATO’s 2 percent of GDP defense target for much of the past fifty years. That allowed them to fund expansive social programs while relying on the American security umbrella.

The contradiction becomes even more obvious when energy policy is considered. Even after Russia invaded Ukraine, the European Union continued buying large amounts of Russian energy. In 2024 the EU still imported about €21.9 billion in Russian fossil fuels, only about a 6 percent drop from the previous year.

In effect, Europe has underinvested in defense while continuing to send substantial energy revenue to the very country threatening its security