SECURITY: NATO Def Mins Meet As Ukraine & Europe Assess Trump's Push For Talks
Feb-13 09:00
NATO defence ministers are meeting in Brussels as they grapple with a day that may represent the most significant shift in European geopolitics since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in Feb 2022. On 12 Feb US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth laid out in stark terms the future of European security, which will see a much less involved US and no NATO membership for Ukraine.
- This was followed by confirmation from US President Donald Trump that he had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and that the first stages of negotiations to end the conflict would begin at the Munich Security Conference on 14 Feb. Ukraine's European allies have been at pains to stress that Kyiv must have a prominent role in any talks, but it remains to be seen how much influence Europe can have in the process given the Trump administration's apparent willingness act unilaterally on the matter.
- The US' shift in stance with regard to European security will have a marked impact on state finances. Without the US security umbrella, European nations will face the choice of major increases in defence spending or being left vulnerable to direct, hybrid, or indirect attack. This in turn will require gov'ts to hike taxes, cut spending, ramp up debt, or a combination of all three.
- NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will speak alongside Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov at 1225CET (0625ET, 1125GMT) before holding a presser at the end of the meeting at 1615CET (1015ET, 1515GMT).
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