Can Europe rely on the United States coming to its defense?

European leaders have been surprised by the open rapprochement between US President Donald Trump and Russia Vladimir Putin-and painful suggestions that the United States may abandon its commitment to defending European allies.

After World War II, Western European countries joined the United States and Canada to create NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) to confront the Soviet Union at the time.

Article 5 in the coalition says that NATO members will reach an ally to be attacked.

The United States has always been the firm power, but questions are now asked frankly about the future of NATO – recently by the man who is scheduled to become a German advisor. Friedrich Mirz said his goal is to achieve independence from the United States in terms of security.

“The events last week showed that Trump undermined NATO, undermined the Secretary -General and undermined Article 5 of the Collective Defense,” said Armida Van Reg, head of the European Program in Chatham House, in the United Kingdom.

“The idea behind this was all for one and one for all belief – and this has been broken.”

While the Trump administration says it does not come out of NATO and remain committed to defensive partnership with Europe, it warned that it “will not tolerate an unbalanced relationship that encourages dependency.”

Trump has told the European allies continuously to raise their financial contributions significantly – in one stage last year Putin publicly encouraged the invasion of those who failed to pay their bills.

But experts, as experts say, is how the message is delivered as a war in Ukraine – the greatest security crisis in the continent for decades.

Mina Alander, Chatham House analyst, said that the United States started promoting Russian goals. “It seems that Trump has turned the explicit sides into the Russia team.”

Some of this axis includes Trump:

• Praise be to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was called earlier this month – the first phone call between the White House and Karmlin since Russia’s full invasion three years ago
• Talks between the United States and Russia last week – which, although it aims to end the war in Ukraine, cut Ukrainian officials and European allies.
• Attacks on Ukraine President Volodimer Zelinski, whom Trump called “a dictator”
• Putin’s lies are repeated that Ukraine started the war – not Russia

“This war is much more important for Europe than it is for us – we have a great and beautiful environment like separation,” Trump said.

A long time ago, Article 5 was understood as an automatic commitment by member states – and most importantly, the US military – to come to the defense of other members.

But this does not always mean sending the forces.

For example, if Estonia is invaded by Russia, the United States can send one monitoring plane to support “that will meet the message if not the spirit of Article 5”, as Edward Arnold, an analyst at the Royal United Institute of Services, explained, a defensive and security tank in London.

“There is nothing that indicates that the United States should put its full forces,” he said.

“But the assumption was always under the former US presidents that this would happen, so people now began to worry.”

Arnold said the United States is the dominant military force in NATO – it commits about 70 % of its capabilities and leadership.

Along with absolute numbers – the United States has more than 100,000 soldiers It was published in Europe – NATO relied on the United States to obtain major capabilities such as planes withdrawing in the air, transporting troops or supplies via aircraft, and military transport.

The United States also provides the bulk of nuclear weapons, as well as intelligence, logistics and important reconnaissance tools.

He was always seen as a group leader. He was the leader of the supreme allies of Europe – the Supreme Military Commander in NATO – always American and Americans in most NATO roles.

“Because the United States overcomes the forces, it has always been a natural pioneer in NATO,” says Ms. Reggi. No one ally from one European NATO can enter this space, as it says, “Because no one has capabilities or forces levels.”

The United States warned a decade ago Europe will need to intensify its defense.

During the era of Joe Biden, the priority of its higher security is the India and Pacific theater, amid its competitor with China, and thus turned from Europe.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine withdrew the United States’ focus on Europe. But Trump’s trend last week was the push for extreme rethinking.

“His absolute priority will be to strengthen Europe as soon as possible so that we can really achieve independence from the United States,” Mirz said after his victory in the German elections.

He even said he was not sure whether the coalition leaders meeting in June “will continue to talk about NATO in its current form or whether we had to create an independent European defense capacity more quickly.”

Once his position is reached, MERZ will be one of the three adult European, which includes the United Kingdom and France in addition to Germany.

UK Prime Minister will go to Washington on Thursday, after the visit on Monday by French President Emmanuel Macron.

“I don’t think there are any good options for Europe at the present time. It comes to avoiding the worst,” said Mr. Arnold.

“It comes to mitigating the risk. It is not a matter of keeping NATO together in its current form.”

Europeans act quickly. Greece, Norway and others expressed their concerns, while Denmark announced last week a significant increase in defensive spending.

The UK also announced a rise on Tuesday, and external aid has reduced an additional 13 billion pounds annually. Care Starmer warned that it was a “painful” option, but he said that the country’s defense and security came first.

Mr. Arnold says this is the price that the Europeans will have to pay, especially “We have sent a lot of things to Ukraine now, our contributions are very dry.”

He said that we now see what is a “long -term transformation” in the global security matter.

“The United States is not the ally it had before, and it is unlikely to return to this view,” he said.