European Union leaders are trumpeting their endorsement of a plan to free up hundreds of billions of euros to inject into their defense budgets after the Trump administration warned that the continent must look after its own security,

Replacing what the Americans do for the NATO alliance would take money, personnel, time and cooperation. None of those is easy.

EU member states agreed to unlock what could amount to an unprecedented 800 billion euros ($867 billion) for defense spending amid mounting signs the U.S. is no longer a reliable ally, and the defense of Ukraine is falling squarely on their shoulders.

European Union leaders on Thursday committed to working together to bolster the continent's defenses and to free up hundreds of billions of euros for security after U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated warnings that he would cut them adrift to face the threat of Russia alone.