PARIS: US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth warned on Saturday (Jun 6) that Europe confronted what he referred to as an invasion of harmful ideologies arriving by sea, linking immigration to the legacy of the D-Day landings in remarks in Normandy.
His remarks echo criticisms typically made by the administration of President Donald Trump about Europe, a area Washington argues is hampered by weak defences, incapacity to sort out immigration, pointless crimson tape and “censorship” of far-right and nationalist voices to maintain them from energy.
“Sadly, at present, completely different European seashores are stormed by completely different, harmful ideologies. Seashores in Spain, Italy, Greece and Bulgaria, boats and males arrive,” Hegseth stated in a speech on the Normandy American Cemetery in Colleville-sur-Mer.
“When will European capitals do one thing about that invasion or is it too late? I pray not, and I imagine not,” he stated.
Hegseth was talking throughout commemorations for the 82nd anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy, when US and Allied forces crossed the English Channel to launch the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi occupation.
US officers, together with Trump and Vice President JD Vance as not too long ago as Friday have typically criticised European international locations for failing to manage immigration.
A US Nationwide Safety Technique doc issued final yr warned Europe confronted “civilisational erasure” and should course-correct whether it is to stay a dependable US ally.
That doc, and different feedback by senior Trump officers, have upended postwar assumptions about Europe’s shut relationship with its strongest ally, and concentrated minds throughout European capitals on the pressing must diversify away from reliance on US know-how and defence.
