Brent Scowcroft Center Nonresident Senior Fellow James Joyner writes for the National Interest on recent Russian moves in Ukraine:
In the run-up to September’s NATO summit in Wales, the Obama administration is sending decidedly mixed signals to its European allies, simultaneously demanding that they contribute more to their own security and signaling that they needn’t bother.
In a joint press conference in Warsaw with his Polish counterpart last month, President Obama declared that, while America’s commitment to Europe was unwavering, “every NATO member has to do its fair share,” committing “a proportional amount” of resources to the common security. Defending against future threats is “going to require some joint capabilities that right now we don’t have,” the president urged, and investing in them is “going to require every NATO member to step up.” He noted that “We have seen a decline steadily in European defense spending generally” and exhorted “that has to change.”