European countries that are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation should prepare for a scenario in which the United States withdraws from the bloc. This was reported by The Telegraph newspaper with reference to diplomats from NATO countries.
Former US President Donald Trump, speaking to his supporters on 10 February in the state of South Carolina, said that if a NATO member state stops making defence contributions, the United States has no intention of defending that country. The White House called the politician’s words threatening national security, stability and the economy.
“The (European) capitals need to make a plan and think again about their military capabilities in light of Donald Trump’s threats,” The Telegraph publication said.
A European diplomat told the newspaper that Trump’s comments on US NATO membership were undeniably worrying.
“Nobody knows what will happen next,” he admitted.
Another diplomat pointed out that the former president’s words only further emphasised Europe’s “excessive dependence” on the United States. He believes that European countries that are part of the alliance need to discuss how to protect themselves in the event of a US withdrawal from NATO.
“If the U.S. withdraws, a huge hole will be created,” he said confidently.
A third diplomat pointed out that the current situation should make European capitals think about whether their current military planning is up to date.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that the United States was responsible for the disintegration of international stability and security.