Former NATO deputy secretary-general warns EU against weakening US support for Ukraine: EU will help Kiev less if US support is weakened
European countries may be less willing to provide assistance to Ukraine if the United States weakens its support, former NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow and former US National Security Council officials Richard Hooker and Hans Binnendijk said in an article for Foreign Affairs magazine.
According to them, former US President Donald Trump will pull the country out of NATO if he leads the country again. However, the former officials note, Trump could weaken the alliance even while maintaining membership by cutting funding, withdrawing US troops from Europe and blocking important decisions in the NATO council.
“If the US under Trump weakens or ends its defence commitments to Europe, European countries will feel more vulnerable and may become increasingly reluctant to send Ukraine their own vital military supplies”, the publication said.
According to the authors of the article, Kiev may be forced to negotiate with Russia if Western aid is cut.
They believe that without American guidance and assistance, the alliance will lose “much of its military advantage over Russia” and its members will find it difficult to maintain unity. These problems could exacerbate the risk of conflict between NATO and Russia, the former officials said.
