Europe prepares for defense without US: NATO is developing alternative plan, - WSJ
Against the backdrop of the risk of the U.S. withdrawing from NATO, European countries have begun quietly drafting a plan designed to ensure their independent defense against Russia without the involvement of U.S. forces or security guarantees.
This was reported by Censor.NET, citing The Wall Street Journal.
Details
As noted, officials involved in developing these initiatives aim to expand European participation in NATO’s leadership and command structures, as well as to partially assume the responsibilities currently carried out by the United States.
The key objective is to preserve three fundamental elements, even in the event of a possible withdrawal of U.S. troops:
- containing Russia;
- the continuous conduct of military operations;
- the existence of nuclear safeguards.
At the same time, these proposals currently have no official status and do not envisage replacing the existing Alliance.
As previously reported, Trump criticized NATO and threatened to review the Alliance's funding for countering Russia.
What led up to
- As a reminder, White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt previously stated that U.S. President Donald Trump plans to discuss with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte the possibility of the U.S. withdrawing from the Alliance.
- NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that U.S. President Donald Trump expressed dissatisfaction with the partners' participation in the operation against Iran.
