Can Europe still have the United States that defend themselves?

European leaders have stunned for the open approach between the president of the United States, Donald Trump, and Vladimir Putin de Russia, and not so subtle suggestions that the United States can abandon their obligation to defend European allies.

After World War II, Western European countries joined the United States and Canada to establish NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) to counteract the then Soviet Union.

The famous article 5 of the Alliance maintains that NATO members will come in defense of an ally that attacks.

The United States has long been the anchoring power, but now questions are being asked openly about the future of NATO, more recently by man who will become Germany’s chancellor. Friedrich Merz said his goal would be to achieve the independence of the United States in terms of security.

“The events of last week have shown that Trump has undermined NATO, undermined his secretary general and undermined article 5 of collective defense,” said Armida Van Rij, head of the European program in the group of experts of Chatham House with Headquarters in the United Kingdom.

“The idea behind this was all for one and one for all belief, and that has broken.”

Although the Trump administration says that it is not withdrawing from NATO and remains committed to the Defense Association with Europe, it has warned that “it will no longer tolerate an unbalanced relationship that encourages dependence.”

Trump has constantly said European allies who considerably increase their financial contributions, at a stage last year He openly encouraged Putin to invade those who did not pay their bills.

But what is alarming, experts say, is how the message is given as the war in Ukraine, the greatest security crisis for the continent in decades, is enraged.

Bajo Trump, the United States has even begun to promote Russian objectives, said Chatham House defense analyst Minna Alander. “It even seems that Trump changed sideways to Russia’s team.”

Some of this Trump turn include:

• Praise for the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, whom he called at the beginning of this month, the first phone call between the White House and the Kremlin from the large -scale invasion of Russia three years ago three years ago
• The conversations between the United States and Russia last week, which, although they aimed to finish the war in Ukraine, eliminate Ukrainian officials and European allies
• Attacks against the president of Ukraine, Volodymr Zelensky, whom Trump called a “dictator”
• Repeat Putin’s lies that Ukraine had begun the war, not Russia

“This war is much more important for Europe than for us: we have a large and beautiful ocean as separation,” Trump said.

The drafting of article 5 has been understood for a long time as an automatic obligation by the Member States, and more significantly, the US army, of reaching the defense of the other members.

But that does not always mean sending troops.

For example, if Russia invaded Estonia, the United States could send a single surveillance plane in support and “that would comply with the letter if not the spirit of article 5,” said Edward Arnold, an analyst at the Royal United Services Institute, a tanno of experts of defense and security in London.

“There is nothing that suggests that the United States has to put their all your strength,” he said.

“But the assumption has always been under previous US presidents that would happen, so now people are starting to worry.”

The United States is the dominant military power in NATO, committing about 70% of its capabilities and command, said Arnold.

Together with the pueros numbers: the United States has more than 100,000 troops deployed in Europe – NATO has been based on the US for key capabilities, such as fuel replenishment aircraft, troops or supplies for military airplanes and mobility.

The United States also provides most of nuclear weapons, as well as significant tools for intelligence, logistics and recognition.

And he has always been seen as a group leader. The Supreme Allied Commander for Europe, the main military leader in NATO, has always been American and Americans are in most NATO NATO roles.

“Because the United States is militarily so overwhelming, it has always been a NATO natural leader,” says Mrs. Rij. No other NATO European ally can enter that space, he says “because no one has troop capacities or levels.”

The United States warned a decade before Trump that Europe would need to intensify its defense.

Under Joe Biden, he declared that his main security priority would be the Indo-Pacific Theater, in the midst of his competition with China and, therefore, a change in Europe.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine withdrew the United States approach in Europe. But Trump’s address in the last fortnight has been the impulse of a drastic rethinking.

Merz said after his German electoral victory that his “absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that, step by step, we can really achieve the independence of the United States.”

He even said he was not sure if a leaders meeting of the Alliance in June “would still be talking about NATO in its current form or if we will have to establish an independent European defense capacity much faster.”

Once in office, Merz will be one of the three great Europeans, which includes the United Kingdom and France as well as Germany.

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom addresses Washington on Thursday, after the visit there by French president Emmanuel Macron.

“I don’t think there are good options for Europe at this time. It’s more about avoiding the worst,” said Arnold.

“It’s about mitigating risk. It is not about keeping NATO together in its current form.”

Europeans are acting quickly. Greece, Norway and others have expressed concern, while Denmark last week announced a great increase in defense spending.

The United Kingdom also announced a walk on Tuesday, reducing foreign aid to finance the additional £ 13 billion per year. Keir Starmer warned that it was a “painful” choice, but said that the country’s defense and security are first.

Arnold says that it is the price that Europeans will have to pay, especially because “now we have sent so many things to Ukraine, our own actions are quite dry.”

Now we are seeing which is a “long -term change” in the global security order, he said.

“The United States is not the ally that it once was, and it is very unlikely that I return to that opinion,” he said.