At this year’s Warsaw Security Forum (WSF 2025), Europe’s strategic future took center stage with a provocative question: “Increasing the Stakes: Should Europe Be Feared?” The panel, featuring leading European foreign ministers, explored whether Europe is capable of projecting credible deterrence—or remains perceived as divided and reactive in a world of intensifying global competition.

Organized by the Casimir Pulaski Foundation, a leading Polish security and foreign policy think tank, the Warsaw Security Forum has become one of Europe’s foremost platforms for high-level dialogue on defense, security, and transatlantic affairs. The 2025 edition, held on September 29–30, brought together nearly 2,500 delegates from more than 80 countries.

Under the overarching theme #DividedWeFall – Winning the War Before the War: A Blueprint for Europe, this year’s event delivered a clear message: Europe must act decisively now to avoid facing greater threats later.

Europe’s Power and Credibility

Panelists including Radosław Sikorski (Poland’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister), Jean-Noël Barrot (France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs), Johann Wadephul (Germany’s Foreign Minister), and Andrii Sybiha (Ukraine’s Foreign Minister) addressed the question of whether Europe can and should be “feared”—in the sense of commanding respect through unity, deterrence, and resolve.

The consensus was that Europe’s image as a serious geopolitical actor depends on its ability to demonstrate both political cohesion and hard power. “Fear,” in this context, was not about aggression, but about ensuring that potential adversaries think twice before testing Europe’s resolve.

Unity as Europe’s Strategic Weapon

Speakers warned that Europe’s greatest vulnerability is internal fragmentation. Persistent divisions—on defense spending, industrial policy, and support for Ukraine—risk undermining deterrence and emboldening adversaries.

As moderator Katarzyna Pisarska, Chair of the Warsaw Security Forum and Founder of the Casimir Pulaski Foundation, noted, “A divided Europe cannot deter anyone. Unity is our first line of defense.”

Ukraine as the Test Case

The war in Ukraine remained the defining issue. For Minister Sybiha, continued European commitment is not only a moral imperative but a strategic necessity. The level of support Europe extends to Kyiv, he argued, will determine whether deterrence holds elsewhere on the continent.

Several panelists echoed that “Europe must win before the war”—by preparing politically, militarily, and industrially even as the fighting continues.

Hard Power and Deterrence

Discussions drew heavily on the 2025 WSF Report, which urges Europe to expand its missile capabilities, strengthen joint planning, and consider establishing a European coordination mechanism similar to NATO’s Nuclear Planning Group.

The report recommends that select European states explore options for land-based cruise missiles (Tomahawk-type) and increase inventories of systems such as SCALP/Storm Shadow and JASSM.

Panelists agreed that credible deterrence requires credible capabilities—and that Europe’s defense industrial base must move faster and coordinate better to deliver them.

Hybrid Threats and Strategic Autonomy

Beyond traditional defense, participants highlighted the growing threat of hybrid warfare, including cyberattacks, disinformation campaigns, and sabotage of critical infrastructure. Strengthening Europe’s resilience—both civilian and military—was seen as key to sustaining deterrence.

The debate also touched on European strategic autonomy, with French and Polish officials emphasizing that autonomy should complement, not compete with, transatlantic ties.

Broader Forum Themes

WSF 2025 also featured sessions on energy security, climate resilience, transatlantic relations, and democratic defense, reflecting the widening definition of security in Europe.

France served as the Forum’s Partner Country, with a strong delegation led by Minister Barrot. High-level participants included Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who addressed delegates via video link, calling for a joint European aerial shield to defend against missile and drone attacks.