Pres. Donald Trump (Photo: Jim Watson/AFP)
While doubts are growing about pres. US President Donald Trump’s commitment to the protection of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), both sides of the Atlantic agree: Europe must take more responsibility for its own defense.
The move away from dependence on America’s military forces will be a focal point when leaders of the 32 member states of NATO meet for a summit in Ankara this week.
Here are some of the most important issues:
Trump has never softened his criticism of NATO – recently he attacked European allies for their response to his war in Iran.
Since Trump’s return to the White House, his administration has made it clear that Europe must take the lead in defending the continent, while the US focuses on other parts of the world.
Washington rocked Nato in May when it suddenly announced it would withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany and halt a deployment to Poland – before reversing course again.
The US then told allies it would reduce its military contribution to NATO and announced a six-month review of its forces in Europe.
“We are redoubling our efforts to make NATO what it was always meant to be: a balanced alliance with Europe at the helm of its own defense,” said Pete Hegseth, the US Secretary of Defense.
European countries started to increase their military budgets after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but pressure from Trump made it accelerate drastically.
After decades of underspending, NATO leaders agreed last year to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035.
(Photo: Andrew Leyden/Nurphoto/AFP)
“There really is a revolution going on in the alliance,” said a European diplomat. “This shift of responsibility is going to fundamentally change the alliance.”
Although the US is still by far the biggest spender, Europe and Canada aim to match Washington’s budget in the coming years.
Germany takes the lead, while countries closest to Russia’s spending are already close to NATO’s target.
There is now a growing realization that US withdrawal is inevitable – and that this will not necessarily change after Trump’s term.
“It’s not about Trump. It’s a long-term structural change,” said Claudia Major of Germany.
Although Europe can already fill some of the gaps, it will take time to replace critical capabilities such as long-range missiles.
Despite sensational announcements, changes at ground level are still relatively limited.
The US still has about 80,000 troops in Europe, and there are many pro-NATO voices in Washington who want to maintain their presence.
America’s nuclear umbrella also remains the ultimate guarantee of Europe’s security, and the Trump administration is not considering reducing it.
There has been some realignment of NATO command structures, with Europeans now leading all regional headquarters.
However, the US still retains the highest military post and control of air, land and sea command.
“The alliance is slowly transforming. In a few years, Europe will be much more relevant,” said a diplomat.
For now, no one is openly talking about Europe going it alone or replacing NATO.
Diplomats say leaders will advocate at the summit for a “stronger Europe in a stronger NATO”, with the aim of keeping the US as involved as possible.
Going forward, Europe may increasingly seek to bring Ukraine – and its battle-tested experience – closer to the continent’s security framework.
But with the path to Nato membership currently blocked for Kiev, the focus is mainly on Ukraine’s bid for EU membership.