Strategic autonomy became central to the European Commission, led by Ursula von der Leyen, who stated her intention to have a “geopolitical commission.”[4] Members of the Von der Leyen Commission, including Josep Borrell and Thierry Breton, claim that Europe's soft power needs to be complemented by a harder power dimension.

[7] The election of Joe Biden in the United States brought expectations of a Euro-Atlantic unity to be reconciled with the strategic autonomy of the European Union.

[6] The New York Times saw the election of Joe Biden bringing discord between France and Germany over the future of European defense and strategic autonomy.

[12] The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine was perceived by Emmanuel Macron as an attack on the institutions of the EU and a test of European strategic autonomy.

[13] On 2 December 2022, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said that Europe must strengthen its defenses because they are currently “not strong enough” to stand up to Russia's invasion of Ukraine alone, and have been relying on American support.