Europe is working on strategy in case of US withdrawal from NATO - Financial Times
The United Kingdom, France, Germany and the Nordic countries are developing a strategy to gradually take on more responsibility for European defense instead of the United States.
The Financial Times was reported by four informed European officials, Censor.NET reports with reference to Yevropeiska Pravda.
The newspaper writes that it is also about the proposal of the administration of US President Donald Trump to transfer these responsibilities to European states over the next five to ten years.
The discussions are an attempt to avoid chaos in the event of a unilateral US withdrawal from NATO, which has become a subject of concern due to Trump's repeated threats to weaken or withdraw from the transatlantic alliance that has protected Europe for almost eight decades, the newspaper noted.
The United Kingdom, France, Germany and Nordic countries are among the states involved in these informal but structured discussions, according to the four people briefed on the matter.
Their goal is to develop a plan to transfer the financial and military burden to European capitals and present it to the United States before the annual NATO leaders' summit in The Hague in June.
It is noted that the proposal will include firm commitments to increase European defense spending and military capabilities in order to convince Trump to agree to a gradual transfer of power, which would allow the United States to focus more on Asia.
In addition to its nuclear deterrent, which protects Europe with several European air forces armed with U.S. nuclear weapons, the United States provides military capabilities not available to continental allies, operates air, naval, and military bases, and maintains 80,000 troops in Europe.
Officials estimate that it would take five to 10 years of increased spending to reach a level that would replace most U.S. military capabilities (with the exception of nuclear deterrence).
"Increased spending is the only possible strategy: sharing the burden and reducing dependence on the United States. We have begun these negotiations, but the task is so large that many feel overwhelmed," said one official.
Although U.S. diplomats have assured their European counterparts that Trump remains committed to NATO membership and its fifth article on collective defense, many European capitals fear that the White House could quickly reduce troop or equipment deployments or reduce participation in joint NATO tasks.
"You have to negotiate with the Americans, and it's not clear that they will be willing to do that. Can you even trust them to stick to it?" said another official.
The interlocutors also pointed to the ongoing and regular discussions between France and the United Kingdom on the creation of a "coalition of the resolute" as an indicator of the direction of travel.
When asked what a European backbone in NATO means and whether it is possible, one of the officials replied: "We see it happening. We see it happening right now: The UK and France are taking the lead [on reassurance forces for Ukraine] without the Americans."
