Bruno Lété

Senior Fellow, Security and Defense
Brussels Office
Staff,
GMF Expert
My Areas of Expertise:
Defense Cooperation
Central and Eastern Europe

Bruno Lété currently serves as a senior fellow at The German Marshall Fund of the United States in Brussels. He provides analysis and advice on trends in geopolitics and on international affairs. He focuses primarily on NATO, transatlantic defense cooperation, developments in Eastern Europe and the Black Sea region, and cybersecurity.

In 2010, Lété joined the European Union Delegation to the United States in Washington, DC, where he supported the political, security, and development section and focused on U.S. foreign policy and EU–U.S. relations. He started his career in 2007 as a program associate for the German Marshall Fund, where he helped developed GMF’s signature policy conferences such as Brussels Forum.

Lété studied at the University of Ghent in Belgium and at Collegium Civitas in Warsaw, Poland. He holds a bachelor's in communication management and a master's in international relations. He appears regularly in the media and is the author of frequent opinion pieces and policy briefs. In 2008 he was made a John C. Whitehead Fellow by the Foreign Policy Association in New York City. 

Media Mentions

by
Bruno Lété
“ How will you deter Russia from attacking Ukraine once Ukraine is inside the alliance? Does it mean NATO will be sending boots on the ground? Does it mean that we need to think about a multinational brigade for Ukraine similar to what is now in place in the Baltics? ”
Deutsche Welle
by
Bruno Lété
“ I don't think there will be any further enlargement of the EU before there are reforms. ”
DW
by
Bruno Lété
“ For the EU it is very important symbolism to have Zelenskyy in Brussels, but for Ukraine the stakes of this visit are much higher than for Europe. Now as questions turn to other issues where the EU plays a bigger role like reconstruction, the timing seems to be more right to come to Brussels. ”
France 24
by
Bruno Lété
“ The problem is that Europe’s dream of Strategic Autonomy has been sunk in Ukraine. After years of debate whether NATO or the EU should lead security, it is NATO that has emerged as the trusted partner. With the events in Ukraine, some EU countries regard the US or the UK as a better security insurance, than say France or Germany. ”
Euronews
by
Bruno Lété
“ “The events in Ukraine have really sent shockwaves through European capitals, east and west. ... European countries closer to Russia, such as Poland and the Baltic States, had a firmer grasp of the danger, but if you look at the Netherlands, Portugal, Luxembourg, there’s still this sense that Russia is far away. ”
Jewish News Syndicate
by
Bruno Lété
“ Beyond the east, we must also look at the south of Ukraine. Already vast areas of Ukraine’s coastlines east of Crimea are occupied. Clearly Russia is trying to establish a land bridge between Crimea and Russia. If Mariupol falls, Russia will have succeeded. ”
CNBC
by
Bruno Lété
“ With Britain's exit from the EU, America's greatest friend has departed, and with it, a voice against competition with NATO. Finally, Europe is not yet over the shock of Donald Trump. ”
Translated from Dutch
Wynia's Week
by
Bruno Lété
“ Europeans have done a bad job thinking about their own defense. In the military response to the Ukraine war, Europe has joined the response. The US was clearly the driver. Europeans are now realising that this situation is no longer sustainable. ”
Euronews
by
Bruno Lété
“ NATO has to prepare for every possible military scenario. It is not unrealistic to think that Russia could create a border incident with Estonia to distract attention from an invasion in Ukraine. ”
Deutsche Welle
by
Bruno Lété
“ Some EU nations have foreign policies which aim to appease Russia. Their aim is to break The Kremlin’s autocratic relation with China and also improve their own economic ties with Russia. ”
Al Jazeera
by
Bruno Lété
“ There is no trust. There's even mutual dislike,” Lété said. “And both parties have a completely different vision on what the future of European security should be. Russia believes it has the right to have a zone of influence (e.g. the post-Soviet area), whereas NATO supports the sovereign decisions of states to define their own future. ”
CNS News
by
Bruno Lété
“ For some NATO member states, [the Founding Act with Russia] serves as an excuse to be moderate in organizing European deterrence and resilience, particularly Germany. Once NATO gives up on this, it will be able to seriously organize the defense of Eastern Europe. ”
Wall Street Journal

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