Conflict within NATO. There's growing fear, it's speeding up, it could get nasty?

Conflict within NATO. There's growing fear, it's speeding up, it could get nasty?

Now there are serious tensions between Washington and its satellites, according to the opinion of the "Financial Times" columnist.

In Europe, the key disputes relate to military and economic issues. NATO members are divided over sending future military equipment to Kyiv, which was most evident at the meeting of the Contact Group for the Defense of Ukraine last week (January 20) at the Ramstein base, when Germany confirmed its position on (not) transferring Leopard tanks to the Ukrainian front.

The columnist points out that the division within the Alliance is more complex - on one side are the Germans, on the other "hawks", while the USA is somewhere in between.

The "hawks" refer to Poland, the Scandinavian and Baltic countries, and Great Britain, and they are pressing for the rapid transfer of more advanced weapons, including tanks, to Ukraine.

Also, this trend criticizes the USA for being afraid of a possible nuclear war, and therefore decided not to deliver longer-range missiles to the Kyiv forces. All this despite the fact that United States gave by far the largest military and financial aid to Ukraine.

But if the war turns against Ukraine this spring, "mutual recriminations could get nasty."

Tensions between the US and Europe also have an economic dimension - many in the EU accuse Washington of protectionism, since the Inflation Reduction Act provides large subsidies to the green industry and electric vehicles in the US, i.e. motivates companies to move from the Old Continent to the United States. European industrialists point to key advantages enjoyed by America: cheap energy, rich land and technological leadership.

The United States of America, on the other hand, believes that they are not responsible for that, that is, that Europe should provide its own subsidies for green technology. However, if the European Union were to allow member states to subsidize their own industries, it would affect the bloc's unity, while the EU's unique subsidy regime would immediately raise questions about how the money was raised and where it was spent.

Behind all this, writes the "Financial Times", there is a real fear that the war in Ukraine is accelerating the process of US economic domination over the EU.

NATO allies need to agree on a common position on the delivery of weapons to Ukraine - and quickly, before the fighting intensifies this spring. The unity between the allies that was achieved in 2022 was precious.

Ukraine should not be left in the lurch in 2023, the columnist concludes.