DISINFO: The EU is desperate to rebrand the war in Ukraine to keep selling it to European people
SUMMARY
Through rebranding, the EU is desperate to sell its people more Ukraine war. Calling Ursula von der Leyen’s €800 billion defence spending plan, “ReArm Europe,” as she did initially, didn’t test well – probably because Europeans are too busy wondering why there’s no money for literally anything else that isn’t a weapons buying bonanza. So there is a new name, Readiness 2030, that they’ve suddenly started using as a replacement term. That 2030 date may be related to the fact that politicians need a solid five years of blank checks from taxpayers to funnel cash into the defence industry, conveniently boosting GDP after tanking their own economies with their self-inflicted crises. Europe isn’t getting “ready”; citizens are just getting robbed.
RESPONSE
This disinformation story is a direct reaction to the EU programme ReArm Europe/Readiness 2030, trying to stir up discontent among European audiences by portraying it as unaffordable or executed at the expense of other social expenditures.
The purpose of this programme is to establish “concrete legal and financial means to support the defence investments of Member States […] providing financial levers at the immediate disposal of EU Member States to quickly and significantly increase defence investment and defence capabilities”. The programme aims to ensure Europe’s self-defence capabilities, mostly through a fiscal plan to boost and fund this military enhancement. Contrary to what this disinformation story claims, the plan is specifically designed to ensure its feasibility.
This disinformation story is also part of a wider disinformation campaign portraying Europe as a warmongering actor who intends to continue the war in Ukraine even as other nations want “peace”. Russia has characterised its negotiation process with the US as the only acceptable ‘peace initiative’ regardless of the maximalist character of Moscow’s demands, while denying any agency to Ukraine or its other allies. See also our article Reminder: Russia wants war, not peace.
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that NATO’s defence demands will bankrupt Europe, that the EU arms itself using the phantom threat of a war and Russia’s imaginary menace, that Europe would go broke helping Ukraine if the US withdraws all support, that Europe justifies the increasing defence budgets with “belligerent” Moscow, that ReArm Europe means the EU is preparing to attack Russia, that Europeans are starving because of NATO-driven confrontation with Russia, or that Brussels works to bankrupt European citizens through its defence strategy.