European countries could be left in an extremely vulnerable position if the US leaves NATO, writes The Hill.
„The EU lacks cohesion, military capacity and political will to replace NATO. France and Germany are at odds over the future of European defense, while Eastern European countries, especially Poland and the Baltic states, would suffer the most because they still see the US, not the EU, as the main guarantor of their security.
"A US withdrawal from NATO would only exacerbate these problems, forcing Europe to confront its own strategic vulnerability. Washington's continued engagement with the North Atlantic Alliance is at risk as senior officials hint at growing impatience in the White House. If European allies continue to rely on American security guarantees, they could soon lose them, the newspaper warns.
“Post-NATO Europe will be a continent of competing countries, not a single, cohesive bloc. The most militarily capable countries will face conflicting interests, and Eastern European countries, especially Poland and the Baltic states, will seek some kind of security guarantee, potentially deepening their ties with the United States outside the European Defense Union.
Such a scenario would fundamentally change transatlantic relations, putting Europe in a precarious position in an era of global instability,“ the authors of the publication note, emphasizing that, “the focus of US interests has long shifted from Europe to the Pacific region, where China poses a direct challenge to US power“.
In addition, the economic feasibility of preserving NATO is increasingly doubtful in Washington, the publication writes.
This week, at the initiative of Macron, extraordinary summits on Ukraine were held in Paris. Iceland, Norway, the Baltic states, the Czech Republic, Greece, Finland, Romania, Sweden and Belgium, as well as Canada, took part in the leaders' meeting on Wednesday. Representatives from most of them joined the talks via video conference, and the positions of EU countries were divided on the issue of sending a peacekeeping contingent to Ukraine. Some EU members such as France, the Scandinavian and Baltic states, represented at the Elysee Palace by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, and the United Kingdom, have declared their readiness to send troops.
At the same time, the idea of sending a peacekeeping contingent did not find support in Spain, Poland and especially in Germany and Italy.