EU Prepares Emergency Summit Amid Fears Over NATO’s Future (Worthy News In-Depth)
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
BRUSSELS/BUDAPEST/WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – European Union leaders are preparing an emergency summit after Germany’s likely new chancellor suggested that the transatlantic NATO military alliance may effectively collapse by June.
The March 6 gathering will discuss additional support for war-torn Ukraine, European security guarantees, and how to pay for European defense needs after President Donald J. Trump raised doubts about the U.S. involvement in protecting Europe.
“We are living in a defining moment for Ukraine and European security. In my consultations with European leaders, I’ve heard a shared commitment to meet those challenges at EU level: strengthening European Defence and contributing decisively to peace on our continent and long-term security of Ukraine,” the chairman of EU summits, Antonio Costa, said on social media platform X.
He spoke as Germany’s likely next Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, questioned on Sunday whether NATO would remain in its “current form” by June following comments by Trump’s administration and said Europe must quickly establish an independent defense capability.
“I would never have thought that I would have to say something like this in a TV show, but, after Donald Trump’s remarks last week…it is clear that this government does not care much about the fate of Europe,” Merz told German public broadcaster ARD after his conservatives won Sunday’s national election.
This month, the Trump administration shocked European allies by telling them they must take care of their own security and rely less on the United States while announcing talks with Russia to end the war in Ukraine without involving Europe.
“RIGHT TRACK”
However, Italy’s separated Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni tried to play down fears over a transatlantic breakup, telling the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington that Trump wouldn’t turn his back on Europe.
By CPAC delegates, she was viewed as a leader who put Europe back on the “right track” and a “hero.” She stressed the importance of the transatlantic alliance, warning: “If the West cannot exist without America, it cannot exist without Europe either.”
She rejected the notion that Europe is adrift, arguing that the continent is stronger today thanks to the rise of conservative governments.
However, despite his’ America First’ policies, she made sure to include Trump in Europe’s deliberations about its future and that of Ukraine. “Our adversaries hope Trump will move away, but that won’t happen,” she told CPAC in a live video message from Rome.
“I know him – he is strong and effective. I bet we will prove them wrong. Some may see Europe as distant or lost, but I tell you, that is not the case. With Trump’s victory, the left’s irritation has turned into hysteria.”
Her views were shared by outgoing Polish President Andrzej Duda, who faced criticism from the ruling coalition over his short meeting with Trump on the sidelines of CPAC at the Gaylord National Convention Centre in National Harbor, near Washington.
SHORT DATE
Reportedly planned to last an hour, the delayed 10-minute conversation between Presidents Duda and Trump touched on the U.S. military presence in Poland and ending the war in Ukraine.
“Backstage at CPAC, President Trump met with President Andrzej Duda of Poland and reaffirmed our close alliance. President Trump also praised President Andrzej Duda for Poland’s commitment to increase their defense spending,” the White House wrote on social media platform X.
“There is no fear that the U.S. presence in Poland will decrease. Donald Trump said he would rather expect an increase in the US presence with regard to Poland,” Duda added after the meeting.
Duda told reporters he tried to stress the strategic importance of NATO’s eastern flank. He also confirmed that he told U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth that Poland should move forward with the “Fort Trump” project.
Unveiled in 2018, ‘Fort Trump’ was Poland’s proposal for a permanent U.S. military base on its territory, although the project is yet to be implemented.
Trump “acknowledged” the project and reassured him there was no reason for concern as “Poland is one of the most credible allies,” both militarily and economically, Duda stressed.
FROSTY TIES
However, Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk, who has frosty ties with Duda, said there was nothing to laugh about following the brief meeting between the Polish and U.S. presidents.
The secretary of state in the president’s office, Andrzej Dera, said he didn’t think the brief conversation indicated a lack of respect for the Polish president, noting that Trump had referred to Duda as a friend.
“A friend is not belittled […] You speak differently with a friend. There’s no need for long hours of negotiations or talks; with a friend, you speak directly and to the point,” he said.
Tusk’s government accuses Duda of favoring his old party, the conservative PiS. It hopes the May elections, in which Duda cannot run for another term due to constitutional limits, will allow it to gain full power in Poland.
The current mayor of the capital Warsaw, Rafał Trzaskowski, is running for president as the candidate of Tusk’s Civic Platform (PO, EPP).
He has reportedly been leading in election polls ahead of PiS’s Karol Nawrocki and may become the next president of the EU’s largest Eastern European economy.
(With additional reporting by the Worthy News Europe Bureau in Budapest.)
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