European nations could be rethinking national security without US, says Herts expert
The heated conversation between Ukrainian president Zelensky and US president Trump continues to fuel domestic debates
In the wake of last Friday’s controversial press conference, political analysts and experts are assessing the potential ramifications for US foreign policy, particularly regarding Ukraine and NATO.
Early this week, Mr Trump ordered a pause to US military supplies to Ukraine as he sought to press Mr Zelensky to engage in negotiations to end the war with Russia, bringing fresh urgency to the EU summit in Brussels.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen says "Europe faces a clear and present danger, and therefore Europe has to be able to protect itself, to defend itself".
Dr Ben Nutt, Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at the University of Hertfordshire, described the events as "unique, unexpected and unprecedented".
According to Dr Nutt, the incident deviated significantly from the norms associated with the U.S. presidency.
He said: "These things shouldn’t be happening. This was still the first time that we'd seen it perhaps go off the rails like it did."
Trump’s handling of Ukraine policy and his approach to international diplomacy have raised concerns about the reliability of the US as an ally.
"One thing it does shift is shared norms and values, apparent shared interests," Dr Nutt explained. "And it is also already beginning to lead European leaders to question the extent to which they can rely on the US as that primary security provider."
Speaking about the implications for NATO, he said: "To even consider that the US would not be a dominant member in NATO or would even withdraw from NATO seems impossible, but I think it does beg them questions."
Facing the possibility of a fundamental disengagement under US President Donald Trump, European Union leaders opened a day of emergency summit talks on Thursday to beef up their own military defences and make sure Ukraine will still be properly protected by its allies.
Dr Nutt said: "I think they’ll start to look at how they can be much more secure militarily themselves."
"To effectively say that European strategy, European security, or security on the European continent isn’t within America’s interest... it kind of goes against history from World War One, from World War Two.
"The fact that America were financiers and open supporters of European integration because they didn’t want another major war in Europe—that was solely within US interests."
He pointed to the UK’s recent efforts to increase defence spending, although he noted, "Ironically, this is going to return it to levels that are lower than it was pre-2010 cuts."