Leaders across Europe are scrambling to beef up their defense and intelligence forces after President Donald Trump’s false accusation last week that Ukraine started the war with Russia.
It was a clear indication that the United States, under the Trump administration, is ideologically more aligned with Russia than its close allies of 80 years.
Anger among NATO-member country leaders is significant, but their distrust of Trump is even greater.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said, after a sobering address before Parliament on Tuesday morning, “This is a significant moment, and that is why we’ve got to rise to this generational challenge. It is a moment where we have to fight for peace through the action that we take.”
He then announced what he called “the biggest sustained increase in defense spending since the end of the Cold War” — a 2.5% increase by 2027.
Norway and Denmark announced in a joint statement, “We will look at how to strengthen cooperation between our armed forces in all domains and how we can develop our strategic cooperation in the High North and North Atlantic.”
Starmer indicated he wants to preserve the U.S.-Europe relationship, adding, “It is our most important bilateral alliance. It straddles everything from nuclear technology to NATO, to Five Eyes, AUKUS and beyond.”
But, Starmer also said Russia “is a menace in our waters, in our airspace and on our streets.”
He announced more money will be budgeted for intelligence agencies because, “We also face enemies that are sophisticated in cyberattacks, sabotage and even assassination” — all areas Moscow is more than proficient in.
And if the U.S. is taking sides with Russia and refusing to call out its bad behavior, it sends an irrefutable message to Europe.
In quiet conversations, many European thought leaders suggest the U.S. is their ally — but only in writing. Put another way, even though the U.S. is a key guarantor of NATO, they don’t believe a Trump-led U.S. would come to their aid if attacked by Russia.
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