U.S. pullback from Europe signals lasting shift - ex-Ukrainian MP

Former Ukrainian MP Taras Stetskiv said this on Espreso TV.

“It is a grave mistake by European leaders to still hope to do business with Trump. I’m not saying they should fight with him. After all, the last few months have shown that policies of deterrence, appeasement, and gifts to the U.S. president achieve nothing. Because Trump most likely despises both Europe and Zelenskyy. 

I think there will be no meeting between Trump and Zelenskyy on the sidelines of the NATO summit. I’ll say even more: I fear that Trump might initiate the process of the U.S. leaving NATO at the summit. Although he cannot do this himself, as it is the prerogative of Congress. But judging by his behavior since taking office, he is thinking about how to get out of Europe,” the former MP commented.

In his opinion, European leaders do not want to be blamed if Trump finds a reason to withdraw from Europe.

“Most likely, we are dealing with a long-term trend of the U.S. exiting Europe. Therefore, both Europe and Ukraine must draw very serious conclusions: it’s clear — America is no longer here because there is no military aid, and it’s uncertain whether weapons will be sold for money. That’s why it’s time for Europe and Ukraine to turn to each other.

I believe that if not at this summit, then during 2025 the trend will move toward the U.S. withdrawal from Europe, which means the U.S. will no longer participate not only in conventional aid to Europe, but it’s also uncertain whether the nuclear umbrella will be maintained,” Stetskiv concluded.

• Earlier, Spain expressed disagreement with NATO’s proposal to increase military spending to 5% of GDP, which could cause a dispute with U.S. President Donald Trump, who insists on strengthening European defense.
• Italy’s Defense Minister Guido Crosetto believes NATO no longer has a reason to exist in its current form, as the Atlantic region is no longer the center of global politics.