Europe needs to be prepared for US withdrawal from NATO - media

This was reported by The Telegraph.

According to diplomats from NATO member states, Europe should prepare plans and review existing defence capabilities amid Trump's threats of a possible US withdrawal from the Alliance.

The prospect of Trump's possible return to the White House has raised concerns in Europe about US support for Ukraine and the country's commitments to NATO.

According to the publication, European capitals are now beginning to realise that they need to prepare for the possibility that the United States may withdraw from NATO.

One European diplomat said that Trump's comments are worrying and "Nobody knows what he’s going to do next".

He emphasised that NATO countries need to prepare for a scenario in which American commitment to the Alliance is weakened. 

A diplomat from another NATO country noted that Trump's comments made it abruptly clear "that we are so overdependent on the US". According to him, there is a need for a discussion on how to hedge against the risk of a US withdrawal from the Alliance. 

He stressed that countries such as the UK would have to take on an even greater role in European security, as "if the US pulls out there will be a massive gap".

Despite this, British ministers insist that NATO has grown stronger over the past year, with Finland joining in April 2023 and Sweden last week.

• At the Munich Security Conference in February, NATO representatives expressed concern over the US failure to provide "billions of dollars in funding" to Ukraine and said they were planning scenarios in which this public deterioration in support could push Russia to directly attack a NATO ally.