WARSAW – US President Donald Trump’s hostile regime has finally forced Europe to wake up. With US officials calling into question the transatlantic alliance, Germany’s incoming chancellor, Friedrich Merz, recently persuaded lawmakers to revise the country’s “debt brake” so that defense spending can be boosted. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called for an €800 billion ($872 billion) fund to strengthen the EU’s hard power. And UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pledged to increase defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, hoping to hit 3% by 2030.