On the question of strategic autonomy, Fries stressed that a desire by the EU to take more responsibility for its own security was in no way incompatible with the bloc’s desire to work closely with partners such as the United States or countries in NATO.“The United States is in constant contact with the Ukrainians as the war evolves and their needs change,” Sloat added. “The EU has been firm, robust, and quick,” Fries said.
Fries and Sloat disputed claims that there are divisions among allies on the amount and timing of delivering lethal aid to Ukraine. And he pointed out how, for the first time in history, the European Union (EU) is delivering lethal weapons to an active war. Fries noted how the war has created a “tectonic shift in European history, and a tectonic shift for the European security landscape.” He stressed that the recently released European Strategic Compass is a watershed event that had all member states backing a common security approach. Here are some key takeaways from the conversation: Whereas prior to February 24, policymakers worried about the cohesion and sense of purpose in the Western alliance, the brutal war in Ukraine has brought allies together like no event has since the end of the Cold War.Īt Wednesday’s EU-US Defense & Future Forum, Charles Fries, deputy secretary general for common security and defense policy and crisis response at the European External Action Service Jānis Kažociņš, national security adviser to the president of the Republic of Latvia and Amanda Sloat, senior director for European affairs at the White House National Security Council discussed what has-and hasn’t-changed in the last four months. 
Russia’s attack on Ukraine has rewired the debate around transatlantic security.
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