All 27 EU leaders agreed to do exactly what Trump has been demanding for years: Radically increase their defenses with investment — potentially totaling €800 billion — that might just mean they can take care of themselves without “freeloading” (or relying) on American help.

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

European Union leaders committed to working together to bolster the continent’s defenses and to free up hundreds of billions of euros for security. The agreement emerged Thursday after U.S. President