Well, the speed at which Finland and Sweden rushed into NATO (aka US) arms, when their illusion of "peace forever" was shattered, is a far stronger endorsement than anything else.
Unfortunately, we are humans and the only thing that organizes us beyond a certain scale (100-150 people) is force. Either you are strong enough yourself, or you need some strong backers.
Europe seems to prefer US hegemony over Russian bullying. See how Finland and Sweden wanted to get into NATO without anyone forcing them to do so.