Europe was alone with the threat of Russia

Europe has been alone with the threat of Russia – says Christian Caryl in the magazine of Foreign Policy, commenting on the statements of Donald Trump. As he emphasizes, one thing is certain – the unspoken low -intensity war, which Russia is conducted, will continue.

Caryl, former head of the Newsweek office in Moscow, and currently the editor -in -chief of the Washington Post opinion department, sums up recent statements of the US President and combines them with provocations, acts of diversion and sabotage, which Russia is committed in Europe.

“It seems that so far certain European leaders have been able to convince themselves that – despite the inconsistent statements of Trump – the US will never abandon them. However, the last two weeks could eventually bury these illusions,” says the author.

Trump announced that NATO countries should shoot down Russian aircraft that would be in their airspace, but asked if the US would support allies in such situations, he replied: – depends on the circumstances.

Let's think about the word “depends” – writes Caryl. NATO is an alliance based on the assumption that the mutual help of allies in the event of an attack is not conditional, but “Trump sees it so.”

In the post on his Truth Social platform, the president referred to the issue of precipitating Russian aircraft and added: “We will continue to deliver NATO weapons so that NATO would do what he wants with her. Good luck with everyone!”

Trump refers to the alliance, as if it was an organization unrelated to the USA, “a client to which weapons are delivered, not a military alliance in which the US is to play an active and leading role,” comments the author.

Meanwhile, Russia, which has been conducting a hybrid war against Europe for a long time, has recently reached for “open provocation” because Russian drones have invaded Poland. A few days later, German, Italian and Swedish fighters were picked up to capture three Russian military aircraft that flew into the airspace of Estonia. German and Swedish machines have intercepted a Russian reconnaissance aircraft over the neutral waters of the Baltic. American fighters were not seen in any of these actions – reminds the commentator.

“In practice, Europe is now alone,” he emphasizes.

Meanwhile Europeans are dependent on the support of American intelligence, if only because the EU is not able to compete with the network of American satelliteswhich play a key role on the contemporary battlefield. Only the US have the ability to quickly transport aircraft with very numerous troops and large amounts of weapons. European air defense systems, especially anti -missile, cannot match the potential of US forces – explains Caryl.

The expert of the Brussels Royal Defense Institute Simon Van Hoeymissen assessed in an interview with “FP” that one of the most serious problems of European forces is the lack of sufficient mobility in situations requiring immediate response. This also worsens the state of infrastructure in Europe and the “inertia” of its institution.

As the author forecasts, Russia will continue to test NATO air defense, use sabotage, cyber attacks and other provocations that can lead to a “serious military crisis.”

Military commanders in Europe assessed this year that Russia's serious attack on NATO may take place in 2029 or 2030. Caryl believes that the last weeks have proven that this may be too optimistic. (PAP)

fit/ mms/