Europe should have prepared for U.S. exit during Trump’s first term — analyst

He said this on Espreso TV.

"European allies should have started preparing for the potential withdrawal of the United States of America from Europe back in Trump’s first term. In fact, when Trump says that some contingents need to be withdrawn from Europe, he can actually implement this. On the one hand, it’s expensive, but on the other hand, it’s also one of his political promises. Who will replace these contingents? Will this security umbrella over Europe remain? Many leaders of the European Union, especially after J.D. Vance’s speech in Munich, got the impression that this umbrella has started to shrink," he noted.

Viktor Shlinchak was present at the security conference in Munich, which took place in February this year, and saw the reaction of those present to the statements of the U.S. Vice President.

"People were leaving the hall with wide eyes. They really didn’t know how to react. Even when I approached certain delegations, they said: 'We won’t comment right now, we need to somehow collect our thoughts,'" the political analyst said.

• On February 7, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte stated that defense spending by European NATO member countries and Canada increased by 20% in 2024 compared to the previous year.
• On February 13, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth assured that the U.S. is not abandoning its allies in Europe, but they cannot be the permanent guarantor of NATO funding, and that the "peace dividend" must come to an end.
• U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance stated that Europe has retreated from the common values shared with Washington, specifically mentioning democracy and freedom of speech, which he said are receding in the EU.