12/06/2026
On Tuesday, 9 June, Bled Strategic Forum, in cooperation with the Slovenia MFEA and Trivelis Inštitut, hosted a conversation with Ambassador (ret.) Michael R. Carpenter about the interconnectedness of Europe and the United States, their shared political interests, and their growing strategic differences that are raising questions about the future direction of the transatlantic relationship.
Main takeaways:
📌 We have entered a new geopolitical era where norms are diminished, and institutions are failing, making it critical for the US and the EU to overcome political differences and cooperate on AI, global value chains, and rare earths to defend a crumbling international system.
📌 Although Russia’s aggression against Ukraine initially strengthened transatlantic unity, political disagreements, trade disputes, and conflicting strategic agendas have steadily undermined trust between the EU and the United States.
📌 Despite the erosion of trust, Ambassador Carpenter remains optimistic regarding the transatlantic relationship. The bonds are too strong, and there are too many benefits on both sides.
📌 Europe must develop a stronger security pillar based on co-dependency with Washington.
📌 Russia's war against Ukraine has triggered a revolution in how drones, military innovations, and increasingly transparent battlefields have changed modern warfare.
📌 Russia's goals remain the subjugation of Ukraine. A ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine will not end the threat, as Russia continues its unconventional war by testing the limits in the grey area where NATO and the EU currently have no strategy.
📌 Stronger defence industry cooperation, technological innovation, robust supply chains, and deeper transatlantic collaboration in vital areas such as artificial intelligence and emerging technologies will all be crucial to the future of European security, in addition to military capabilities.
