Just a thought on Eastern Europe and NATO; do you think it conceivable that some of the countries formerly under the Soviet thumb would form an alliance of their own, independent of NATO, having their own reasons for distrusting Russia and not wanting to be dependent on Western Europe’s comparative wishy-washiness? I’ve never heard it suggested.
The UK is nurturing such alliance with Poland as a senior sidekick. I think it is now dead in the water as Germany and France are mulling the EU army.