Might be a heretical thought — please don’t downvote me. I’ve been wondering why Europe stands up for itself with such a low conviction. The Russians have been attacking for five years now; they can essentially do whatever they want without facing any real consequences. By doing this, we are sending a message to the Russians that they can simply carry on.

The only ones showing real guts are the British (who sent Storm Shadow missiles) along with the Baltic states, the Danes, and the Finns, all of whom are providing significant financial support.

But where is the robust military aid from the major powers? Why are we approaching this so half-heartedly? --> Could it be that Europe fears a larger-scale Russian offensive on the horizon, perhaps around 2029? Are we holding back resources for that eventuality? At the same time, this war weakens Russia in the short term: they are burning through their stockpiles and funds, and their manpower is dwindling. Is this why we aren’t stopping the Russians, why we aren’t using Taurus missiles to destroy their Shahed drone factories, missile plants, and so on?

Is this why we have spent years watching this barbaric destruction? We do have the capacity to stop the Russians, yet we choose not to.

All of this comes at the cost of human lives on the European / Ukrainian side. The longer we wait to stop the Russians, the costlier it becomes. The cheapest would have been to stop them at the very beginning — when the Russians still had old, outdated technology — but in that scenario, their military would have remained largely intact. Is this the European "tactic"? To let the russians use up their military, at the cost of Ukraine? Or is there no tactic at all, and are we simply standing by, watching the Russian destruction continue?

I often think: if an invasion like this had taken place on America’s border, the U.S. would have struck back immediately and decisively, having driven out the invaders long ago. Europe, meanwhile, just stares blankly, having no idea what to do. America, China, Russia — they can do whatever they want with Europe, and we just accept everything. It's high time we wake up and stand up for ourselves!

The president of Cyprus wrote to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen calling for the EU to resume talks on its mutual defense clause.

“I cannot overstate the importance of this provision for the EU and its Member States, especially in times of geopolitical uncertainty,” Nikos Christodoulides wrote in a letter dated Oct. 20 addressed to von der Leyen, seen by POLITICO.

Article 42.7 of the Lisbon Treaty states that if an EU member is faced with "armed aggression," other members have an obligation to provide "aid and assistance by all the means in their power."

The defense clause article had risen up the agenda because of mounting geopolitical threats, including U.S. President Donald Trump’s undermining of the transatlantic alliance, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and hybrid warfare campaign against the EU, and wars in the Middle East.

“Given the gravity of the challenges we face, Cyprus would welcome the resumption of discussions at the relevant preparatory bodies. I would therefore appreciate an update on the proposals under consideration, as well as a timeline for the next steps,” Christodoulides wrote.

The EU gamed out how the clause would work in practice with exercises earlier this year. Cyprus’ six-month presidency of the European Council, which ended on June 30, prioritized the issue after Iranian drones struck a British base on Cypriot soil in March.

But the topic has largely fallen off the bloc’s radar, as the EU turns its attention to negotiating its seven-year, almost €2 trillion budget and finding more funding for Ukraine.

Article 42.7 is not scheduled to be discussed at any European leaders’ summits in the foreseeable future, confirmed an EU official, granted anonymity to speak freely.