In today’s episode host Alex Petriashvili sits down with Irina Arabidze, Non-Resident Fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), for discussing the strategic imperatives and transatlantic tensions laid bare by the latest U.S. National Security Strategy.
The conversation dissects critical questions: Is long-standing U.S. frustration over perceived European “free-riding” now translating into deliberate pressure on Europe to accelerate its defense capabilities? Does this mark a foundational crisis for the alliance, or merely a painful recalibration?
The discussion pivots to the central stress test: European strategic autonomy and the war in Ukraine. With Washington’s focus on long-term great power competition, particularly with China, is Europe politically and militarily capable of supporting Ukraine independently?