The US announced the foreign policy strategy of the “collective West”
For a long time, the West did not perceive competition for influence in Eastern Europe, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
This was stated by US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Wess Mitchell, speaking at an event of the Atlantic Council, an American think tank on international affairs. The council posted recordings of Mitchell's speech on Twitter.
The United States faces the challenge of “strengthening the West to counter the growing influence of rivals,” the official added. First of all, this task must be accomplished at the “distant frontiers,” supporting states that are “trying to defend their independence.” Among such countries, Mitchell named Ukraine and Georgia, they faced a threat to state sovereignty. Central European countries are threatened by "political and economic infiltration" of their internal affairs, which could split NATO.
The US strategy towards Central and Eastern Europe is based on the following principles, the official said. Washington, first, will seek "positive influence" abroad through its image: "America is a powerful democracy, a shining beacon of freedom whose light attracts others," Mitchell explained. The second principle is that the United States expects that countries that America helps “will not condone their rivals.”
“Western Europe cannot continue to increase its energy dependence on the very Russia from which America is protecting it,” the diplomat gave an example. It is unacceptable that US allies in Central Europe support energy projects like Nord Stream 2, he added. This makes the entire region more vulnerable to Russia.
The third principle is that the United States will respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of its allies: Ukraine, Georgia “and even Belarus” - “a bastion protecting against Russian neo-imperialism.”
The final principle is that Washington will expect states to respect the rights of their neighbors. “We do not recognize Russia’s territorial aggression against neighboring Ukraine, and we do not accept China’s predatory pressure through loans to Central and Eastern Europe,” Mitchell added.
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