The center of decision-making in Europe is shifting to the east. The worldʼs leading media about the war on January 27

The countries of the eastern part of Europe ― Poland, Estonia and Ukraine ― are gradually taking over the role of the most important centers of influence on the continent, writes The New York Times. Referring, in particular, to the words of the Chancellor of Germany, Olaf Scholz, who said this in August of last year. For example, Warsaw, Tallinn, Kyiv or Vilnius are increasingly being listened to in other capitals of the continent, as well as in Brussels or Washington. The positions of the German chancellor or the French president are still important, but no longer decisive. This trend has gradually manifested itself in recent years ― in parallel with the economic strengthening of Eastern European states. The war finally put everything on the shelves: the Poles and Estonians know what bad things can be expected from Russia, the Ukrainians clearly show it to the world ― therefore the voices of these societies sound louder and more adequate than the positions of the countries of central and western Europe, long accustomed to "friendship with Moscow". Now the continent was faced with the need to take decisive steps, and Warsaw or Kyiv appeared to be the most ready for this. "The war in Ukraine cemented this trend," says Jana Puglierin, director of the Berlin branch of the European Council on International Relations. "We can slightly overestimate its influence at the moment, but one thing is clearly evident: thanks to the moral qualities of the leaders in Kyiv, the Baltic states or Warsaw, these nations are now perceived as fighters against dictatorships ― and as brave and effective in it." The sluggish "Old World" has to match them. Among the long-term trends, this could lead to a strengthening of NATO and American influence on the continent, say analysts interviewed by the NYT. Poles or Ukrainians do not rely heavily on the EU army, which is effective only in theory. The North Atlantic Alliance and the Pentagon, on the other hand, have proven their effectiveness in the war here and now ― therefore, probably, in the future, Eastern European leaders will become providers of their interests on the continent, the publication writes.