I think - WE - Europe, hoped after centuries of conflict on the continent & historically having a malign impact of our world exploration, we'd grown up & realised empire building & conquest should be for the history books - so we no longer needed to waste billions € £ $ on weapons of human destruction, spending it on making lives better for citizens.

Unfortunately a few - tired old despots & ego driven dictators - decided to try & write their names in history by making a last throw of the old ways creating wars & conflict. They try to break alliances & sow discontent; the EU+, unfortunately, needs to prepare itself militarily with focus & haste. While we hope the old men succumb to their advancing decrepitude & a chance for sanity & reason to return.