The treaty to be signed on May 9 in Nancy by Donald Tusk and Emmanuel Macron is a response to the threat posed by Russia. But it is also a response to Donald Trump's policies.
At the heart of the new agreement are provisions on security. Until now, France has decided to provide bilateral security guarantees (apart from those within the framework of NATO and the EU) only to its four major neighbors. These include the 2010 Lancaster House agreement with the United Kingdom; the 2019 Aachen Treaty with Germany, which expanded on the 1963 Elysee Treaty; the 2021 Quirinal Treaty with Italy; and the 2023 Barcelona Treaty with Spain. Now the French have decided to treat a country with less potential, which does not share a border with them, in a similar way. They have come to the conclusion that without Poland, with its strategic location and new military strength, it will be difficult to build a European defense.
From the French perspective, Warsaw is entering the first league of
partners, according to diplomatic sources in Paris. While today the
Elysee Palace is convinced that the Poles were right in pointing out the
true nature of the Russian regime for years, Donald Tusk's government
sees the sense in Macron's long-promoted idea of “European strategic
autonomy,” which is supposed to facilitate the defense of Europe even if
the Americans do not come to its rescue. Source-Warsaw Voice
I guess that is good news for Poland. At least France has nuclear deterrent capabilities.
I never thought that at 81 years old I would be thinking about a war where I and Joan live. We have lived through the Korean, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan wars, although not directly. The closest we ever got was the 1968 DNC Convention in 1968 and the Kent State Massacre.
Kent State happened on May 4, 1970. It's hard to believe that was 55 years ago. It is still so vivid in my mind.
The Kent State shootings were the killing of four and wounding of nine unarmed college students by the Ohio State National Guard on the Kent State University campus. The shootings took place during a rally opposing the expansion of the war into Cambodia by the United States.
Students Allison Krause, 19, Jeffrey Miller, 20, and Sandra Lee Scheuer, 20, died on the scene, while William Schroeder, 19, was pronounced dead at Robinson Memorial Hospital in nearby Ravenna shortly afterward