LOOK BACK ON THE WASHINGTON SUMMIT

Atlantic Council at the NATO Summit in Washington

Live commentary, authoritative analysis, and high-level events covering NATO’s Washington summit, courtesy of our experts.

Essays on the Alliance’s future

NATO’s seventy-fifth anniversary is a milestone in a remarkable story of reinvention, adaptation, and unity. However, as the Alliance seeks to secure its future for the next seventy-five years, it faces revanchist old rivals, escalating strategic competition, and uncertainties over the future of the rules-based international order. 

With partners and allies turning attention from celebrations to challenges, the Atlantic Council’s Transatlantic Security Initiative invited contributors to engage with the most pressing concerns ahead of the historic Washington summit and chart a path for the Alliance’s future. This series features seven essays focused on concrete issues that NATO must address at the Washington summit and five essays that examine longer-term challenges the Alliance must confront to ensure transatlantic security. 

Related program

The Transatlantic Security Initiative, in the Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security, shapes and influences the debate on the greatest security challenges facing the North Atlantic Alliance and its key partners.

Content

In the News

Apr 29, 2025

Michta in 19FortyFive and RealClearDefense on how a growing ideological gap across the Atlantic threatens NATO 

On April 26, Andrew Michta, senior fellow in the GeoStrategy Initiative, was published in 19FortyFive on the increasingly distant relations between Washington and Brussels that threaten to harm the future of the transatlantic alliance. He argues that the tensions between the United States and Europe are not merely based on policy but instead represent fundamental […]

Europe & Eurasia NATO

New Atlanticist

Apr 24, 2025

Dispatch from the Kaliningrad border: Russia is fighting a long battle of attrition with the West

By Tressa Guenov

Russia has repeatedly shown itself to be a threat to its neighbors and hostile to their ambitions for closer ties with the United States and the rest of Europe.

Europe & Eurasia NATO

New Atlanticist

Apr 24, 2025

Dispatch from Vilnius: A NATO ally in Russia’s shadow won’t let history repeat itself

By James Hursch

The United States is urging its allies to strengthen their own defenses. To ensure it is never again dominated by Moscow, Lithuania is doing just that.

Defense Industry Defense Policy

In the News

Apr 21, 2025

Michta interviewed on the Focus podcast on European security as the war in Ukraine continues

On April 21, Andrew Michta, senior fellow in the GeoStrategy Initiative, was interviewed on the Focus podcast on the future of NATO amid shifting geopolitical dynamics in the transatlantic relationship. He argues that, to counter Russian aggression and remain competitive against other foreign threats, European defense must work in tandem with the US.  

Europe & Eurasia NATO

UkraineAlert

Apr 17, 2025

The Ukrainian army is now Europe’s most credible security guarantee

By Pavlo Verkhniatskyi

As Europe confronts the new geopolitical realities of an expansionist Russia and an isolationist United States, the continent's most credible security guarantee is now the Ukrainian Armed Forces, writes Pavlo Verkhniatskyi.

Conflict Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

Apr 10, 2025

A pragmatic peace plan for Ukraine

By Mykola Bielieskov

A pragmatic and sustainable peace is possible in Ukraine if Kyiv's European partners dramatically increase their own defense spending while significantly strengthening the Ukrainian military, writes Mykola Bielieskov.

European Union NATO

In the News

Apr 8, 2025

Michta in Lithuanian National Radio and Television on the necessity of US-European cooperation on defense 

On April 4, Andrew Michta, senior fellow in the GeoStrategy Initiative, was interviewed by Lithuanian National Radio and Television on the status of transatlantic relations, NATO, and European defense as the Trump administration challenges the status quo. He argues that close relations between Washington and Brussels are vital to preserving European security and countering Russian […]

Europe & Eurasia NATO

UkraineAlert

Apr 4, 2025

Lithuanians pay tribute to US soldiers who died in training exercise tragedy

By Agnia Grigas

Thousands of Lithuanians paid tribute this week to four United States soldiers who died during a training exercise in the Baltic nation, writes Agnia Grigas.

Conflict Defense Policy

New Atlanticist

Apr 1, 2025

The EU just released a roadmap to defend Europe. Will member states follow it?

By Petr Tůma

To implement the European Commission’s defense readiness report, EU member states must make significant financial commitments and navigate the bloc’s political divisions.

Defense Industry Defense Policy

Issue Brief

Mar 31, 2025

Why NATO’s Defence Planning Process will transform the Alliance for decades to come

By Angus Lapsley and Pierre Vandier

NATO’s successes over the last seventy-six years are the result of constant adaptation, and the Alliance is now going through its most profound changes since the end of the Cold War.

Europe & Eurasia International Organizations

Experts

Events