Transatlantic ties transformed on Ukraine war anniversary

SOME 12 months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, key upside surprises include not just the remarkable resilience of Ukraine’s fighting forces and wider populace, but also the unity of the Western alliance in the post-Trump era, as will be showcased with US President Joe Biden’s visit to Poland this week.

Well documented is the fact that the EU-27 has shown unexpected solidarity in the last year since the Ukraine conflict began, albeit with the frequent, significant exception of Hungary’s intransigence. Building from this, however, is the restoration of the wider transatlantic alliance in the post-Trump era, in no small way thanks to the statecraft of the Biden administration.

To be sure, there are very significant sores that continue to exist between the United States and Europe. These include the new US Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) legislation which has caused much concern across the EU-27, and indeed other allies including the United Kingdom.