Vocal pressure from Eastern and Central Europe was crucial to the decisions this week, after months of wrangling and resistance, to give Western tanks to Ukraine.
nytimes.com
nytimes.com
Poland and the Baltic states have driven the moral argument to support Ukraine, filling a near-vacuum early in the war, when Europe’s traditional leaders, France and Germany, appeared paralyzed.
The war in Ukraine has also made Macron’s aspiration for an “autonomous” European defense seem hollow, given the sharply enhanced role of NATO and the United States in the past year.
Belarus calls Poland's closing of border crossing point 'catastrophic' - Reuters reuters.com
Relations were further strained on Wednesday when a Belarusian court sentenced a journalist of Polish origin to eight years in prison in a trial Warsaw said was politically motivated.
One unexpected outcome of Russia’s war in Ukraine has been the resurgence of the West as a strong security alliance. For how long is still in doubt.
wsj.com
wsj.com
The reanimated Western alliance has its limits. The common cause of containing Russian expansionism hasn’t prevented the Biden administration from pursuing an approach to subsidizing green tech that the European Union decries as protectionist.
Washington’s dominance of the Western effort to support Ukraine’s defense has left European governments both relieved and worried about how long the U.S. will stay engaged.
The West emerged as a geopolitical entity after World War II, crystallizing in reaction to an expansionist Soviet Union. Its renewed relevance has been driven by Moscow’s aggressive designs on its neighbors.
The scale of U.S. military aid for Kyiv and the relatively small contributions by many European NATO countries are leading to criticism on both sides of the Atlantic that the alliance remains lopsided.
Many in Europe fear that, if the region can’t show it is taking more responsibility for its own security, U.S. politicians such as Donald Trump will fan discontent at the perception that America is providing security for a continent that refuses to pull its own weight.
Europe’s economic dependence on China and reluctance to take sides in the U.S.-China strategic rivalry could lead to renewed fissures within the West.
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