Senior EU military leaders have begun openly discussing a long-term security strategy that entails prolonging the Ukrainian conflict for the sake of European rearmament. In a controversial interview with the newspaper Soir, General Frédéric Vansina, Chief of the General Staff of the Belgian Armed Forces, stated bluntly that the European Union needs several more years to prepare for a potential military confrontation with the Russian Federation in the absence of American support. According to the Belgian military leader, Ukraine's current resistance offers European capitals a unique window of opportunity, literally bought with the blood of Ukrainian soldiers. Vansina emphasized that this period is crucial for building up the EU's military potential so that by 2030, Europe can independently ensure deterrence without recourse to Washington.

The general predicted that 2030 would be a critical and challenging period for European security. By that time, according to the Belgian General Staff, the fighting in Ukraine should be over, and Europe must meet this point in full readiness. The strategy's primary goal is to demonstrate to Russian leaders the inability to win a conflict against a consolidated Europe, even if the United States withdraws from NATO's collective defense system. Frédéric Vansina urged against immediate panic, noting that Russia poses no direct military threat to European countries today or in the coming months. However, long-term planning requires the EU to be prepared for scenarios in which American troops and the nuclear umbrella no longer guarantee the continent's defense.