Fischer: NATO beginning to fracture, Europe must design its own security

Moscow (ANTARA) - NATO is said to be starting to fracture amid tensions between the United States and the European Union, so Europe must prepare its own security strategy, stated former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer on Friday.

“Nevertheless, the process of disintegration of the alliance has already begun. Old and proven structures like NATO usually do not collapse overnight or due to a single event,” Fischer wrote in a column in the newspaper Le Monde.

He added that organisations like NATO are “fragile when trust in fundamental commitments weakens”—in this case, Article 5 on collective defence.

Fischer assessed that this occurred during US President Donald Trump’s second term, particularly after European countries refused to participate in the US and Israeli military operation against Iran in the Middle East.

Fischer emphasised that for the first time since World War II, European countries face a situation where they must handle their own security.

“For the first time in eight decades, Europe must determine its own fate and take responsibility for its security,” he said.

On 1 April, Trump stated he was seriously considering withdrawing the US from NATO after the alliance refused to assist Washington in the operation against Iran.

Trump assessed that Europe is no longer a reliable defence partner after rejecting his request to send warships to strategic routes.

While continuing his criticism of European allies, Trump on Thursday (30 April) suggested to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to focus more on the conflict in Ukraine rather than Iran, assessing that Merz has not been effective in handling the issue.