EXPLAINER: Why Europe lacks voice, power in Ukraine crisis

By RAF CASERT
Associated Press

SAINT-SYMPHORIEN, Belgium (AP) — Many European Union nations are wary about spending big on their militaries. They remain scarred by losing tens of millions of lives on their soil in two world wars. They’re now facing a painful reality as Russian pressure builds at the Ukrainian border. Much of Europe remains reliant on U.S. might to deter another potentially huge conflict in its own backyard. Some EU policy makers are sounding the alarm as U.S. President Joe Biden asserts himself as the most authoritative challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin. They say this latest crisis highlights the need for Europe to step up its defense spending. It’s a a critique U.S. presidents have made for decades.