European countries should be prepared for Donald Trump to withdraw the United States from NATO, foreign diplomats told The New York Times. Telegraphson
NATO diplomats say European capitals need to “plan” and rethink current defense capabilities in light of the threats issued by the former president.
The newspaper reported that the possibility of Donald Trump's possible return to the White House raised concerns in Europe about American support for Ukraine and the country's commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), recalling the recent statement of the former US president that Trump would “encourage” Russia to attack NATO and NATO. Members who “don't pay their bills”, while his former national security adviser, John Bolton, predicted he would try to withdraw from the coalition if re-elected.
According to the Telegraph, the UK government does not have a contingency plan for such a situation, but in other capitals, the newspaper said, the realization of the necessity of making such preparations has begun to take shape.
A European diplomat said Trump's comments were “worrying.” He believes that “no one knows what he will do next.” The official said NATO countries “need to plan” for a scenario that would weaken the US commitment to the alliance. “You have to be prepared,” they said.
The post also notes that there has been a significant increase in the number of countries meeting NATO's target of spending 2% of GDP on defence, meaning members can tell Trump that he “gets what he wants.”
A diplomat from another NATO country said Trump's comments highlighted “how dependent we are on the United States.” They said there should be “a discussion about how to hedge the risks of a US withdrawal.”
Countries like the UK must take a greater leadership role in European security, because “if the US withdraws, there will be a huge vacuum.”
A third diplomat said that uncertainty about the United States is causing European countries to “think more about defense planning in their capitals.” In the UK, ministers insisted that NATO had become stronger in the past year, with Finland joining in April 2023 and Sweden joining last week.
But Lord Darroch, the former UK ambassador to the US, is among those who claim the government should be prepared for any eventuality if Trump is re-elected.
(Cover photo: Polish soldiers watch a US Army M1 Abrams tank launch from M3 amphibious vehicles of the German-British 130th Amphibious Engineer Battalion after crossing the Vistula River during NATO's Exercise Dragon 24 on March 4, 2024. Photo: Sean Gallup/Getty pictures of hungary)
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