Western Europe

Storify: #FutureNATO with German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen

German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen visited Washington, DC on June 19th and spoke at an Atlantic Council event on how best to secure Europe amid rapid change and turbulence.

German Defense Minister: ‘Russia Has Destroyed a Massive Amount of Trust’

SPIEGEL: So is the Ukraine crisis a case for defense policy?

Putin Has Exposed Divisions in Europe

By Matthew Kaminski, Wall Street Journal

To the east Russia is on the march. After a spike in violence over the weekend in eastern Ukraine, the Kremlin on Monday cut gas exports to the country, using an economic cudgel to go with the military one.

Is Germany’s Framework Nations Concept a ‘Substantial NATO Compromise?’

By Jan Techau, Carnegie Europe

Something is sprouting in Germany.

NATO Defense Ministers Approve Initiative on Multinational Forces and a New Cyber Policy

By NATO

Ministers approved Germany’s initiative on “Framework Nations”, which will help boost multinational cooperation to develop the forces and capabilities needed to meet NATO’s requirements and cope with new security challenges.

Obama Honors D-Day Sacrifice: Normandy is ‘Democracy’s Beachhead’

By Barack Obama, Washington Post

Just last week, I received a letter from a French citizen. “Dear Mr. President and the American people,” he wrote, “we are honored to welcome you to thank you again for all the pain and efforts of the American people and others in our common struggle for freedom.”