BRUSSELS—U.S. allies have grumbled about Washington taking little heed of them in the Afghanistan withdrawal and elbowing France aside from a multibillion-dollar submarine contract.
At a two-day meeting of NATO defense ministers that wrapped Friday, they sought to move on, agreeing a new plan to defend Europe in case of a Russian attack and seeking to ease tensions over Europe’s efforts to equip itself for more independent military action.
Points of contention remain. Paris is still smarting from the U.S. deal struck to supply nuclear submarines to Australia, nixing an earlier French contract. Some Europeans are worried the U.S. is too focused on China. Germany and France are split over the extent to which European militaries should seek to operate independently of the U.S.
Still, at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization meetings, there were frank conversations, including about Afghanistan, but no finger-pointing, according to officials familiar with talks.
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