Trump's NATO exit threat fuels EU unity — Politico
Photo: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen (Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump’s actions against NATO have had an unexpected result. They are bringing European leaders closer together than ever before, according to Politico.
The agency spoke with 24 ministers, officials, and diplomats and found out how the EU’s response to Trump’s statements is changing.
Trump against everyone
After Spain, the UK, and France refused to allow the US to use their bases and airspace during a war against Iran, Trump sharply escalated his rhetoric. He called NATO a paper tiger and promised to review US membership in the alliance.
The President has repeatedly referred to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer as "not Winston Churchill". In response, Starmer stated that regardless of pressure from other leaders, he would put the United Kingdom's national interests first.
What closed-door dinner in Helsinki was about
Last week, 10 European leaders gathered for a closed-door dinner at the Mannerheim Museum in Finland, without aides or officials. They discussed one thing: what to do about NATO and how to respond to Trump.
The participants agreed that pressure from the US is only intensifying. But everyone refused to support the American bombing of Iran.
"These 10 countries have always been really close to each other, but I would say they’re even closer now," says one of the participants in the talks.
Destroyed NATO—Unified Europe
NATO is effectively paralyzed. "It's pretty clear NATO is already falling apart," says an EU official, adding: "We can’t wait for it to be completely dead."
But there is a flip side. One EU diplomat notes that Trump had destroyed transatlantic relations and, at the same time, united Europe in opposition to this war.
Former NATO Director of Planning Fabrice Pothier added: "Trump is facing the consequences of his unilateralism and for taking Europe for granted".
The EU has already allocated 150 billion euros in defense loans. At the same time, Brussels is examining Article 42.7 of the EU Treaty—the clause on mutual defense among member states.
As Politico notes, by trying to pressure allies, Trump has only accelerated what Europe has been unable to achieve on its own for years, true defense unity.
Trump threatened to halt arms supplies to Ukraine through NATO’s PURL program if Europe did not help unblock the Strait of Hormuz.
Under pressure, several countries were forced to urgently sign a joint statement supporting safe navigation in the region.
Within the Alliance itself, some officials view Trump’s threats to withdraw from NATO as yet another tool of pressure rather than a genuine intention.
One European diplomat even called these statements Groundhog Day, because NATO has heard similar remarks from Trump before. At the same time, no one dares to ignore them entirely.
Meanwhile, RBC-Ukraine has explained whether the US could realistically withdraw from NATO. Formally, this is blocked by a law requiring the consent of two-thirds of the Senate.
However, Trump could effectively paralyze the Alliance by halting intelligence sharing and ignoring obligations under Article 5.
