While participating at the 2026 Munich Security Conference, Anna Wieslander, Director for Northern Europe, appeared on Times Radio to discuss the state of transatlantic security ties.
Drawing on discussions at the conference, Wieslander notes a more constructive attitude of how to practically work forward, rather than a prevailing “Europe alone” sentiment. At the same time, she underlined that Europe’s trust in the United States remains severely harmed, while U.S. representatives continue to make clear that Europe must pay more and assume greater responsibility for conventional capabilities within NATO.
“We have to start a major burden-shifting process,” Wieslander says, adding that “the U.S. will keep the extended deterrence, but there will be major changes, and Europe will take a lead in a way we have not done before.”
Concerned about the uneven implementation of defence spending commitments across Europe, Wieslander also called for greater responsibility from the larger European powers within NATO, including the U.K.
“There are expectations on the U.K. to deliver capabilities […] and there is more needed to be done here” she claims, emphasizing that while smaller countries may allocate a higher share of GDP to defence, their overall impact remains limited.
Listen to the broadcast with Wieslander here.
Further reading
Tue, Jan 27, 2026
How the Nordic-Baltic states became Europe’s reliable security engine
Dispatches By Anna Wieslander
Eight Northern European states are acting together early and turning solidarity into capabilities and delivery.
Wed, Jan 7, 2026
Trump’s quest for Greenland could be NATO’s darkest hour
Dispatches By Anna Wieslander
If the United States intervenes to seize Greenland the future of NATO would be at stake. Such a development would be contrary to US national interests.
Mon, Dec 22, 2025
US strategy is leading to a Europe squeezed from the east and the west
Dispatches By
The European Union is caught between a revisionist Russia and a United States that seems ready to divide the world into spheres of influence.