The absolute worst thing the US could do right now is signal to Putin that Eastern Europe's defense is only a secondary priority.
The ongoing war in Ukraine has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that HIMARS and precision artillery are the only deterrents the Kremlin actually respects. Leaving a frontline NATO ally like Estonia sitting there with empty, multi-million dollar American launchers just because Washington got distracted by a new conflict in Iran is a massive strategic failure. Putin is banking his entire geopolitical strategy on the hope that the West will eventually look away and run out of bandwidth to protect the Baltics. Moves like this just prove him right.
This situation also perfectly highlights the danger of Europe outsourcing its security apparatus to the American defense industry. When a country relies entirely on US supply chains, their national security becomes completely dependent on Washington's foreign policy mood swings.
It makes total sense that Estonia is now pivoting to South Korea to buy their rocket systems. If Europe wants to permanently secure its borders against Russian aggression, it desperately needs to scale up its own domestic defense manufacturing. Eastern Europe cannot afford to wait in line for American ammo while the US is busy fighting in the Middle East.
21
Plenty_Beautiful_547Apr 26, 2026
+11
In a war that the US has exactly zero chance of winning that will cost everyone around the world dearly. Great work America 🇺🇸🫠
11
BendicantMiasApr 26, 2026
-5
Putin isn't betting anything on Iran, China is. And it's a good bet too.
Putin will make his move after China has made theirs, and utterly crippled any possible US response as a result. Putin isn't preparing for a fight with the US, China is. And right in their backyard too.
There's a reason the Chinese call Trump their 'Nation Builder' lol. You worry too much about Putin. I suggest you learn Chinese instead.
Also eastern Europe themselves choose to align more with the US than with their fellow Europeans cos they can't stand the idea of Berlin, Paris and Brussels having hegemony over them. Europe's much hyped 'unity' is predicated on an outsider being in charge of it.
NATO will be a VERY different organization if it didn't include North America. Not just militarily, but also politically. Suddenly eastern Europeans won't see it as innocently as they do rn, cos the last thing they want is the goddamn French ruling over their lives again.
-5
MinorKeyEnjoyerApr 26, 2026
+5
Eastern Europeans aren’t stupid, they definitely know that pan-Europeanism is preferable to nothing.
5
BendicantMiasApr 26, 2026
+1
I didn't say they'll leave NATO, buy they will grumble and chaff under it and resent any decision that doesn't go their way all the more. It'll have its corrosive political effects over time, waiting for a crisis.
1
ClankerCoreApr 26, 2026
+26
Yeah, we’ve just wasted all of our patriot missiles on drones
Congress has already been complaining that we’ve just depleted most of our munitions and missiles
26
ken_the_boxerApr 26, 2026
+13
Well, just a few days and Congress can stop complaining and DO SOMETHING.
13
EkstraOstApr 26, 2026
+10
They are representing the people, who also are not doing anything besides meme
10
CommercialStyle1647Apr 26, 2026
+1
You want them to build missiles in congress or what?
1
ken_the_boxerApr 26, 2026
+1
Obviously I am referring to the 1973 War Powers Act.
1
FritzkreigApr 26, 2026
+2
The cost of response there is exactly what the enemy and Raytheon ordered!
2
CupEcstatic2721Apr 26, 2026
+5
I am afraid that this situation will also have a painful impact on Ukraine
5
__Yakovlev__Apr 26, 2026
+1
Ukraine will feel it, but not nearly as heavily as a lot of people fear/think/claim.
The US was also basically not delivering anything new to Ukraine since Trump came to power anyway. At first there was still some but that was already committed stuff from the Biden admin. Europe has already been the main supplier for a good while now. The biggest exception to this is the patriot missiles, but even those were bought from the US but paid for by Europe.
However not only has Europe massively scaled up it's own production by now, so has Ukraine. They produce their own drones, both short and long range and their production speed is still ever growing. They also have started to make some serious progress with their ballistic missile production lines, while it's not what on the same scale as russia yet, it's still big enough to already hurt Russia seriously because they're just much more vulnerable to this kind of stuff.
So the main issue remains air defence systems. But luckily there are some very good European alternatives that ofc are being produced more and more and are no joke to their American counterparts.
So yes it'll be noticeable, but it's far from the end.
1
LethargicDemigodApr 26, 2026
+1
Heavily contested market segment. Multiple nations have similar platforms. The Estonians have been smart and already ordered South Korean K239 Chunmoo last December, so they are already diversifying. With Japanese alternatives that may come online in coming years, EU will have new options.
1
90gradiApr 26, 2026
+1
Buy EU
1
[deleted]Apr 26, 2026
-20
[deleted]
-20
Lucky-Elk-1234Apr 26, 2026
+16
What has the strait of hormuz got to do with NATO?
16
MinorKeyEnjoyerApr 26, 2026
+16
the US government: we do not need anyone’s help. all other militaries are pathetic. don’t even bother coming. we don’t have to tell you anything or consult with you. we’re #1
also the US government: you need to help us secure the Strait. you need it and we don’t. if you don’t help then we are not responsible for the consequences of our actions.
idiots.
16
ArchonofTevinterApr 26, 2026
+7
Which it has done by increasing arms production by magnitudes more than any US company. But I guess they didnt want to jump into a war of no plan or direction for the US that it never consulted them on, and repeatedly bleated about how they dont need them...but its Europe's fault that America is in the situation we put ourselves in.
7
DependentLanguage540Apr 26, 2026
+9
Europe now needs to fix the mess the Trump’s America created? The USA will never be forgiven and will become pariahs globally. Americans might not be able to travel anywhere without being spat on.
9
BendicantMiasApr 26, 2026
+1
American travelers will be fine as long as the US dollar sits at the top of the currency totem pole. Once that falls though, yeah then they're in for a rude awakening. One thing a lot of self-satisfied westerners don't realize, especially when they gloat about how all the world is trying to move there i.e. immigration, is how much it's all for money.
There have been global surveys of which countries are seen as the most destabilizing. Guess who won (and this even before Trump lol) - https://brilliantmaps.com/threat-to-peace/
1
Expert_Put_7492Apr 26, 2026
-2
Give it a try.
-2
[deleted]Apr 26, 2026
-8
[deleted]
-8
MinorKeyEnjoyerApr 26, 2026
+1
nations in wars usually try to preserve their alliances, rather than being openly belligerent and insulting to their allies. have fun being roundly hated.
1
Thomas2140Apr 26, 2026
+1
Might be time for you to learn what NATO is for.
1
[deleted]Apr 26, 2026
-4
[deleted]
-4
General-Walk-1009Apr 26, 2026
+6
Sit down Vladimir. "Latvia's 2026 defence budget is set at a record **2.16 billion EUR**, amounting to **4.91% of its GDP**. "
28 Comments