European countries are preparing for Donald Trump’s possible victory in the US presidential election by exploring the possibility of creating a “complement to NATO” that could function without the United States, The Washington Post reports.
European officials began discussing an alternative to the North Atlantic Alliance after Mr. Trump revealed how he threatened not to defend NATO countries if Russia attacked. The new structure is expected to cover the entire continent, work in concert with US security guarantees, but also “could serve as a credible alternative if US guarantees are withdrawn”.
European leaders and officials recognise the need to engage on security issues with Donald Trump and his allies, but they do so “with great difficulty”. They fear a return to the days when the Republican “threatened the transatlantic relationship.”
Some EU officials are trying to forge links with Mr. Trump’s entourage and supporters. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, for example, spoke at the “Trump-friendly” conservative Heritage Foundation during a trip to the US and visited a Lockheed Martin facility in Alabama to highlight how much allies buy from US arms manufacturers.
One European security official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive conversations between allies said:
“When the former and possibly future leader of the free world says that he would sit back and see how Russia would attack NATO allies, we have to rethink what US commitment towards Europe and Ukraine could look like.”
