Wheels in Motion: Where is the Trans-Atlantic Relationship Heading?

The transatlantic partnership is being tested like never before. Shifting US foreign policy priorities, the war in Ukraine, NATO’s evolving role, an assertive China, and growing pressure on European defence spending and military capabilities have all put the post-war alliance under strain - and forced both sides of the Atlantic to ask difficult questions about the future of cooperation.

Ambassador John Bolton and former Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström will offer candid perspectives from Washington and Stockholm on where the relationship stands today and where it is heading. Drawing on their combined decades at the highest levels of foreign policy, they will discuss European strategic autonomy and burden-sharing within NATO, the state of military capabilities on both sides of the Atlantic and the urgent push to rebuild Europe’s industrial defence base, the implications of US domestic politics for allies in Europe, the trajectory of support for Ukraine, transatlantic responses to China, and what Sweden’s recent NATO accession signals for the alliance’s northern flank.