Nato faces ‘moment of truth’ on alliance’s future: France

BRUSSELS, Belgium: Nato faces a moment of reckoning on its future, as the United States and Russia set in motion negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine, France´s defence minister warned on Thursday.

Sebastien Lecornu said Nato allies needed to think long-term and beef up their defence industries as Washington demands that Europe take security into its own hands. “It´s a crucial moment of truth,” Lecornu told reporters ahead of a Nato meeting in Brussels.

“People call it the most important, the strongest military alliance in history. That´s historically true -- but the question is, will it still be true 10 or 15 years from now.” US President Donald Trump on Wednesday blindsided Ukraine and Washington´s European allies by agreeing to launch peace talks in his first publicly announced phone call with Putin since returning to power.

On Thursday, ahead of the Brussels Nato talks, US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth described the Ukraine conflict as “a factory reset for Nato, a realisation that this alliance needs to be robust and strong and real”.