Italy: USA Will Remain Guarantor of Europe’s Security
International controversies: for Turkey “the U.S. miscalculated” in the Middle East, while Germany challenges Trump's right to “solely decide on Ukraine's NATO membership”
As Europe sees its plan to bring Russia to its knees economically and politically crumble like a house of cards, Old World leaders are beginning to speak out against the United States and its role in the future of Europe and the world.
While Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, returning from an official trip that included stops in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Pakistan, condemned US President Donald Trump’s strategy in the Middle East, calling it based on “miscalculations,” in Germany, Christian Democratic Union (CDU) leader and candidate for German chancellor Friedrich Merz said the USA alone had no right to “delay Ukraine’s accession to NATO.”
Erdogan said the US approach, which includes a plan to evict more than 2 million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and turn the area into a “Riviera of the Middle East,” not only “ignores the history and values of the region” but also risks “further exacerbating existing conflicts.”
Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Merz said he disagreed “with the idea of postponing Ukraine’s NATO membership before negotiations even begin.” According to Merz, North Atlantic alliance member states agreed in principle not to rule out Ukraine’s accession. According to Merz, “one country cannot alone decide that Kiev will never become part of NATO,” an apparent reference to statements by US President Donald Trump, who called Ukraine’s possible entry into the bloc “unrealistic.”
As Greater Eurasia, the Global South, and the world watch Trump “bring European leaders into line,” the dissenting voice was that of Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who said the United States, “even with a stronger and more militarized Europe,” should be the guarantor of security for the Old World. As the Italian diplomatic chief emphasized at a press conference on the sidelines of his participation in the Munich Security Conference, “I have the impression that there is too much unrest, we always have to wait and see what happens,” Tajani said. “Let’s look at specific things. I exclude that the Americans will abandon Europe: it is in their strategic interest,” the Italian minister added, emphasizing that “he spoke with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and everything he said in his speeches at the G7 summit is encouraging for all of us.”
