Trump Warsaw visit will widen intra-European rifts
Monday, July 10, 2017
Significance
Poland is looking to forge closer ties with Washington to establish its leadership in CEE, counterbalance Franco-German dominance of the EU and present a united front against Russia. Other CEE countries are looking elsewhere for allies, as Russian President Vladimir Putin's upcoming visit to Hungary demonstrates.
Impacts
- Germany and Austria will move to maintain influence in CEE, probably through partnering with the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
- Russia will work to avoid any threat to its natural gas monopoly in CEE, with Bulgaria and Hungary its levers of influence.
- Trump will point to gas and arms exports to Poland as a US foreign policy success, though US hawks will remain sceptical about Russia.
Related articles
Stay up to date
Sign up to the Expert Daily Briefings email alert and receive up-to-the-minute analysis of global events as they happen.
*If your university does not have access to Expert Briefings, visit our information page to find out more.