U.S. will remain Europe’s strategic partner, but Europe must act, says Polish FM Sikorski

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1. >**Regardless of who occupies the White House next year, “the U.S. is and will remain Europe’s strategic partner,” Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski told Politico on Monday.**

   >His remarks come just one day after U.S. President Joe Biden announced his decision to [withdraw](https://tvpworld.com/79409813/us-president-joe-biden-pulls-out-of-presidential-race) from the 2024 presidential race and endorse Vice President [Kamala Harris](https://tvpworld.com/79410297/who-is-kamala-harris) as the Democratic nominee.

   >Harris has also secured endorsements from several key Democratic figures, reshaping the landscape of the upcoming election.

   >With the American political scene in flux, European politicians are left wondering how a potential Harris presidency might impact transatlantic relations and policies on global security, especially concerning Ukraine and NATO.

   >However, after stressing that ties between the U.S. and Europe will remain strong, Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski added that “regardless of who wins, we have to take more responsibility for Europe’s defense and security.”

   >“In my opinion, Europe has no other choice but [to] get ready for a change. America will keep an eye close on Asia. It is our job to explain to our U.S. partners that as long as we are feeling Russia’s threat, we won’t be able to engage fully there,” he said.

   >Sikorski also said that the European leaders must dispel the false narrative that supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression and ensuring defense of NATO are burdensome for the U.S.

   >**Transatlantic relations**

   >Ahead of the EU foreign ministers’ meeting on Monday in Brussels, Sikorski is circulating a discussion paper emphasizing the need for Europe to avoid complacency in its transatlantic relations. The five-page document outlines several crucial points.

   >The paper first addresses economic perceptions, noting that Europe must tackle widespread American beliefs that the U.S. is being taken advantage of in trade by its European partners.

   >It also argues that European leaders must counteract Russian efforts to foster isolationist tendencies in the U.S. and support robust communication about the EU’s value to American interests.

   >“If Moscow can encourage isolationist tendencies among Americans, persuade them the United States has no real interests worth fighting for in Europe, and motivate them to oppose military assistance to Ukraine,” the paper warns, “then the Kremlin could win not only a military war in Ukraine but a hybrid one all across the West.”

   >The document also addresses generational differences in the U.S. in regards to perceptions about Russia, recommending that policymakers tailor their arguments to resonate with younger Americans who may be less familiar with Russia’s history, particularly of the Soviet Union.

   >Lastly, the paper emphasizes the importance of presenting a unified European voice in transatlantic relations, urging the EU to strengthen its strategic communication and demonstrate that it remains a crucial ally to the U.S.

   >Source: Politico, TVP World

2. That would imply we as a Continent manage to grow up some balls.

3. Poles telling it how it is. This is the new Europe Rumsfeld was talking about in 2003.

4. ‘lock the fuck in’ – Poland to the rest of Europe since the start of 2022

5. Hasn’t that been the whole point of NATO? Keep the Americans in, the Germans down, and the Russians out?

   During the Cold War, the US was a major security guarantor for NATO but it wasn’t the only one. France, UK, and even Germany maintained massive armies. West Germany alone had the [biggest army in Europe after the US, which in 1980 numbered 500,000 with 1.3 million reservists, 7000 tanks, 1000 planes, 24 submarines, and 40 surface combatants](https://www.bundeswehr.de/en/about-bundeswehr/history/cold-war). Today’s Bundeswehr is a joke compared to the West German army of 1980.

   During the Suez Canal crisis, both the UK and France, with its post-WWII armies and all of their budget cuts, staged a military invasion of Egypt. Such a thing would be impossible for today’s British and French armed forces. The French army is nothing more than an expeditionary force that cannot fight a war of attrition against a near peer adversaries.

   Europe did this to itself. It didn’t have to be this way.

6. Yeah, let’s walk the talk first, then we can tell the Americans how tough we are. Right now we’re all talk. We’ve heard a lot of bluster from people like Macron and Scholz, but Europe hasn’t actually done shit these past two and a half years to really become a meaningful strategic and military power. Our union altogether is at its knees in front of a Hungarian despot and we’re still not pulling our weight in Ukraine, in Europe, right next door. Poland is one of the few countries actually making moves building up.

   Until we start taking real steps ahead together, we really are fucked without the US and we’re lying if we pretend otherwise. We better be ready to lick that boot if Trump gets into the White House again, unless something really begins to change over here.

7. Easiest thing would be to give Ukraine the tools to wipe out Russian air defences. Would potentially buy years to prepare as Russia can’t do shit in the face of European air power.