BEIJING, May 6. /TASS/. The Ukrainian crisis demonstrates to the global public a growing rift within the North Atlantic Alliance and the growing divergence of interests among its members, writes the Chinese newspaper the Global Times.
"NATO is no longer the tightly unified military alliance it once claimed to be. And there is a growing conflict of interests among its members," says the article devoted to the expected withdrawal of US troops from Germany. "The war in Ukraine has already shown this clearly. While Washington profited from the conflict, Europe footed much of the bill - paying for weapons sent to Ukraine and imposing sweeping sanctions on Russia."
The authors point out that the EU has deprived itself of free access to Russian oil and gas by inflating energy prices, which has negatively impacted the supply of European goods to international markets and led to a sharp increase in household expenses for ordinary citizens. "By the time the Cold War ended, Europe had already slipped into a habit of dependence [on the US]. But today as the world is changing dramatically, can Europe still afford to cling to this old reliance?" the article says.
According to the article authors, Beijing has always regarded the European Union as "an important pole in a multipolar world," consistently supported European integration, and endorsed the EU’s pursuit of strategic autonomy. They point out that Brussels is largely oriented toward Washington, but this approach is "not only shortsighted, it ultimately weakens Europe’s own aspirations for true autonomy."
The article emphasizes that for the European Union, taking an independent stance from the United States is "not a choice - it is a compulsory question that must be answered."
Earlier, US President Donald Trump stated that the United States is considering reducing its troop contingent in Germany and would make a decision soon. He suggested that the US would reduce its military presence not only in Germany, but also in Italy and Spain.