The North Atlantic Alliance has lost its relevance today, since it was created to confront the Warsaw Pact Organization, which has long ceased to exist.

This was stated by French President Emmanuel Macron on the eve of the meeting of the leaders of the G7 countries.

“NATO was founded to counter the Warsaw Pact.

There is no more Warsaw Pact, ”the French leader said.

According to Macron, neither Russia nor the West could finally get used to the collapse of communism.

"We sometimes continue to fight against an ideology or a system that no longer exists, with a non-existent geopolitical logic that continues to split Europe into pieces ... We must come to terms with the fact that this takes time and that the collapse of illusions will continue," the president quotes Fifth Republic Financial Times.

  • Emmanuel Macron

  • Reuters

  • © Benoit Tessier / Pool

Therefore, Europe must develop its own unified defense strategy, Macron said.

The politician called on the EU countries "not to delegate protection" to the United States, but to independently defend their interests by cooperating in the military sphere.

"I defend European sovereignty, strategic autonomy, not because I am against NATO or I doubt our American friends, but because I understand the state of the world," the French president said.

Speaking at the virtual Munich security conference on February 19, Emmanuel Macron returned to this idea.

“We need to do three things together.

First, together create - and re-create - the security agenda and architecture.

So, we need a new concept for NATO, ”the politician said.

Macron stressed that the issues and challenges that he spoke about last year remain relevant.

“As our expert committee established based on the results of its work, the role of the head of state is to prepare a new concept that will determine our actions within NATO in the coming years and will create the foundation for the security architecture I have mentioned.

Meanwhile, the common security architecture presupposes, among other things, a dialogue with Russia, ”the French leader said.

Leadership Application

However, Macron's American counterpart Joe Biden takes the opposite view of relations with Moscow.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, the head of the White House accused the Russian leadership of seeking to "weaken the European project and NATO alliance" and "undermine the transatlantic unity."

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is also determined to confront Russia.

Speaking earlier at a press conference following the first day of the meeting of the North Atlantic Council at the level of defense ministers, the secretary general said that the alliance intends to update its strategic concept in accordance with new challenges.

In his opinion, NATO needs to reconsider its policy towards China and Russia, as well as develop cooperation with like-minded countries around the world in order to oppose Beijing and Moscow.

  • Jens Stoltenberg

  • Reuters

  • © John Thys / Pool

The French president has been talking about the crisis state of the North Atlantic alliance for a long time.

Maron's statement about NATO's "brain death", made in November 2019, made a big resonance in the world.

Then, in an interview with The Economist, the politician said that there are strategic and political problems within the alliance.

As an example, he cited the situation in Syria, where Turkey then began its operation.

At the same time, Washington - Ankara's NATO ally - then simply withdrew its forces from the region.

Macron also noted the "volatility" of the United States.

“I would add that at some point we will have to reconsider the expediency of NATO's existence.

It seems to me that NATO's brain death is happening now.

We need to soberly assess the situation, ”said Macron.

At the same time, in the same interview, the French leader called the strategic dialogue with Moscow one of the important tasks for Europe.

Macron recalled that the United States and Russia are separated by an ocean, but for Europe, Russia is a neighbor. 

According to Sergei Fedorov, a leading researcher at the Institute of Europe, RAS, despite the contradictions between Russia and France, Emmanuel Macron adheres to a pragmatic approach to security issues.

“Macron understands that it is impossible to solve a single complex international problem without Russian participation, let alone issues of European security and strategic stability.

In addition, Paris believes that Europe should acquire greater independence within NATO, ”the expert explained in a commentary on RT.

According to Sergei Fedorov, the French leader resorts today to the concept of Charles de Gaulle, in which the emphasis is on military and political independence.

“Therefore, Macron talks about transformations in NATO and dialogue with Russia,” the expert added.

  • Turkish military in Syria

  • Reuters

  • © Khalil Ashawi

In turn, Andrei Suzdaltsev, Associate Professor at the Faculty of World Economy and World Politics at the Higher School of Economics, believes that behind the words of the French president lies the desire for leadership in the European arena.

“Today NATO is an instrument of US control over Europe.

It is the United States that plays the main role in this military-political alliance.

However, Emmanuel Macron himself claims to be the leader in Europe, "the expert said in an interview with RT.

Independent course

German Chancellor Angela Merkel also stated that the EU should pursue a more independent defense policy.

In January 2020, the politician noted in an interview with the Financial Times that the United States had weakened its attention to the European Union.

According to Merkel, ever since the presidency of Barack Obama, Washington began to shift its focus from Europe.

“We in Europe and especially in Germany should take on more responsibility,” Merkel said. 

At the same time, NATO believes that the EU is unable to defend itself on its own.

Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated this back in November 2019 in an interview with the Spanish edition of El Pais.

According to the Secretary General, the European Union cannot replace NATO, and independence can lead Europe to collapse. 

  • Military ship flying the EU flag

  • Reuters

  • © EU NAVFOR

Nevertheless, Brussels is pursuing its own defense programs through the Permanent Structured Security and Defense Cooperation (PESCO).

Recall that the (PESCO) program was established by the EU countries in November 2017.

25 EU member states have joined the project.

In November 2019, the EU approved 13 new programs under PESCO.

For example, one of the pan-European defense projects was the TWISTER initiative ("Timely warning and interception using space surveillance of the theater of operations").

It was joined by France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Finland.

We are talking about the development of space early warning systems and intra-atmospheric interceptors.

In addition, there is a long-standing discussion about the creation of a common European army.

In June 2017, a significant step was made in this direction - the creation of the European Defense Fund was announced.

However, experts doubt that Washington will agree to weaken NATO's role in Europe.

“Joe Biden wants to normalize relations with Europe, so he will try to pursue a course taking into account the positions of the European allies.

But the American authorities will not follow Macron's call and build a dialogue with Russia.

It is unacceptable for NATO and the United States to build such a dialogue between Russia and Europe, ”said Andrey Suzdaltsev.

Sergey Fedorov adheres to a similar point of view.

“The statements of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reflect the interests and position of the United States.

He has no independent opinion, but is equal to Washington.

At the same time, sane Western politicians understand that Russia is not going to attack NATO countries, ”the expert noted.

However, their voices, like the voice of the French President, are unlikely to dominate, since they contradict the US position, Fedorov added.

“Washington is not satisfied with the position of Paris, which advocates the emergence of Europe's own defense capabilities.

And in the medium term, projects such as the European Army project are unlikely to be implemented.

However, the EU will continue to move in this direction, ”the expert summed up.