The war in Ukraine is accelerating the transfer of power in Europe to the East

The war has increased the influence of Central and Eastern European countries with negative views on Russia, amplified calls for the expansion of the EU. and NATO, and dimmed the power of France and Germany.

BRUSSELS — In August, in Prague, the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, l said bluntly: “The Center Russia's invasion of Ukraine was a shock to the complacent European order, both to the European Union and to NATO. And he underlined and strengthened the influence of Central and Eastern European countries.

Poland and the Baltic states pushed the moral argument to support Ukraine , filling a near-vacuum at the start of the war, when Europe's traditional rulers, France and Germany, seemed paralyzed. But the war has also brought new urgency and energy to the enlargement of the European Union to the Western Balkans and beyond, with bids for Ukraine and Moldova.

Vocal pressure from Central and Eastern Europe played a crucial role in the decisions made this week, after months of bickering and resistance, to give Western tanks to Ukraine. On Wednesday, Mr. Scholz announced that his country would provide some of its Leopard 2 tanks and allow other countries to send theirs, and President Biden said he would send American Abrams tanks, giving Mr. Scholz the political cover he wanted. p>

The war is also accelerating what Mr. Scholz implied: that the balance of power in Europe is also shifting, along with its center, away from "old Europe". which valued and cultivated its ties with Moscow, with new members to the east and north, with their raw memories of Soviet occupation and their reluctance to cede bits of their restored sovereignty to Brussels.

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"Scholz is right," said Timothy Garton Ash, a European historian at Saint Antony's College, Oxford. "The voices of Central and Eastern Europeans are more heard and taken more seriously in the Councils of Europe, and a major Eastern enlargement program is on the table."

< p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0" >With a major war within its borders, Europe is more of a tough power now than before, he said. “So having a Central and Eastern Europe that takes security seriously has an impact. size of the country's armed forces - and has ordered a large amount of sophisticated new weapons, making it a bigger player in both the European Union and NATO.

ImagePresident Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki of Poland and President Egils Levits of Latvia in Kyiv, Ukraine, in September. Poland and the Baltic states pushed the moral case in support of Ukraine, filling a near-vacuum early in the war when traditional European leaders France and Germany seemed paralyzed.Credit...Alexey Furman/Getty Images

< p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Poland was a prominent lobbyist in an attempt to convince a reluctant Berlin to send German tanks to Ukraine and allow other countries to do so.

"Power has shifted to the east and Ukraine will consolidate this trend," said Jana Puglierin, Berlin director of the European Council on ...