JULIANNE SMITH, who served as U.S. ambassador to NATO under President Joe Biden, told us that alliance interlocutors have become increasingly concerned about collective defense since the outbreak of war with Iran in late February. “We are increasingly hearing voices in Europe that we now lack missiles and interceptor systems to an extent that was not there before,” she said, citing reports that the US has informed Lithuania and Estonia about possible delays in arms deliveries due to the ongoing war.
The security summit with Germany scheduled for mid-May in Romania is another signal of the new transatlantic times. The Black Sea and Balkan Security Forum is meeting for the tenth time, but this year the organizers write: “The question still remains whether the United States will provide military support to Europe in an extreme case and whether NATO Article 5 will apply.”
DENISA RADU of the New Strategy Center, which is organizing the event, told Politico: “We are committed to ensuring that transatlantic cooperation continues, even in difficult and uncertain times.
An immediate US withdrawal from NATO would still be a huge challenge for Europe, which will need years to build an industry to replace what it currently gets from the Americans. Nevertheless, SOPHIA BESCH, a German expert from the Carnegie Endowment, notes that specific preparatory actions in the event of a reduction in the US presence in NATO constitute an important foundation for the future.
Further examples:
– So we are going to start a discussion and prepare, let's call it, an operational plan in case any member country triggers this article – said Christodoulides before the summit he is organizing this week, the main topic of which is the war with Iran.
