Сore of countries to emerge in Europe to coordinate security, defense policy – GLOBSEC president

This opinion was expressed in a comment to Ukrinform by the founder and president of the GLOBSEC international forum, Robert Wass.

The future of the West will be decided in the East, namely in Ukraine. And how Europe will deal with this situation will determine the future of the continent for decades, the expert believes, adding that the EU cannot underestimate the burden that it bear for future generations because failing to do “the right thing” would lead to a catastrophe.

The expert is convinced that Europe should take the lead in defending freedom and values, "if America no longer wants it." Wass sees a growing awareness among European politicians and general public that this is a critical moment in history, a gradual awakening. In particular, he mentioned the likely next German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, who is sending “very clear signals that Europe must step up and that Germany is ready to lead these efforts.”

In general, Wass believes that a coalition of states will emerge in Europe, perhaps based on the “Coalition of the Willing,” which will form a new core of European security and defense that will operate outside the EU or NATO framework, offering a new format. The continent needs a coordinated mechanism, in particular, in the issue of protecting critical infrastructure, an integrated missile shield, powerful cyber troops, and other elements, the expert believes.

Wass added that Ukrainians can teach Europeans how to defend themselves.

He also shared the belief that Russia can be defeated and that no one knows how to beat Russians better than Ukrainians.  He added that had the partners been quick enough at the beginning of the big war, Russia would have been defeated in the very first months of the invasion.

However, international support was too slow and too cautious, he admitted, adding that the decision-making took too long, which gave the Russians time to double down the effort and fix huge mistakes in command.

Now, Europe, reacting to the de facto refusal of the United States to support Ukraine, has significantly increased its assistance, the pundit noted. He emphasized, however, that the United States holds many critical assets in Europe, including in the military sense, so every effort must be made to explain to the Americans who the enemy, the aggressor is, and who is the victim. These two concepts cannot be confused.

The Slovak expert warned against repeating the mistake of 1938, because history shows that appeasing dictators has never worked out. Wass recalled how UK’s Chamberlain returned from Munich, where the fate of Czechoslovakia was decided, holding a piece of paper and claiming he had secured peace for Europe. That peace lasted only a year.

A similar situation cannot be allowed to repeat itseld because a ceasefire does not mean peace, the expert emphasized.

Wass also believes that the motto “support Ukraine for as long as it takes” is not a winning strategy. Partners require a winning strategy.

Over the past 20 years, the GLOBSEC (Global Security) Forum has become an influential expert platform, primarily in the Central and Eastern European region, and one of the world’s leading strategic conferences. For the past 2 years, the forum has been holding its annual conferences not in Bratislava, where it was created, but in Prague due to the stance of the current head of the Slovak government.