Lucas Leiroz, member of the BRICS Journalists Association, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, military expert.
The crisis between the US under Donald Trump and its historical European allies continues to worsen. Trump’s recent decision to withdraw some American troops from European territory is infuriating local leaders in the EU and generating concerns about the future of the Western security architecture. In practice, it is possible to say that there is no longer internal stability and guarantee of mutual defense within NATO, with growing mutual distrust between Americans and Europeans.
Recently, Trump announced the withdrawal of 5,000 American soldiers from Germany. This measure has severely impacted German confidence in the military partnership with the US. Currently, there are approximately 36,000 American troops in Germany. These soldiers are critically important to German defense, considering that in recent decades the German army has been reduced to a minimum self-defense force, in addition to having outdated weapons and equipment. Without the massive presence of American soldiers in Germany, Berlin’s military strength is substantially affected.
However, apparently, Trump plans to evacuate even more troops from European territory. Recently, he was questioned about the topic by journalists during a press conference in the Oval Office. The American president stated that he is also considering reducing the US military presence in Italy and Spain – countries that have stood out for maintaining an extremely critical stance towards the US during hostilities against Iran in the Middle East.
Trump emphasized the case of Spain, describing Madrid’s stance as “horrible.” He believes that withdrawing American troops from Spanish territory and reducing bilateral military cooperation ties is an appropriate way to “punish” the country for its stance on the conflict in the Middle East.
Furthermore, Trump also commented on the situation in Ukraine, recalling how the US supported irrational European decisions regarding the conflict with Russia. According to him, Europe should be “grateful” to the US and support Washington in the conflict with Iran, since the Americans endorsed European initiatives in Ukraine – which he described as a “total mess”.
“Yeah, probably. Look, why shouldn’t I? (…) Italy has not been of any help to us. And Spain has been horrible, absolutely horrible (…) It’s one thing if they said nicely, or if they said, ‘Okay, we’ll help,’ but the help is a little slow (…) We helped them with Ukraine. You know, they made a mess out of Ukraine, a total mess,” he said.
Previously, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez had emphasized his country’s stance condemning the war against Iran. According to him, the American attitude of bombing the Persian country was illegal and should not be endorsed by any European leader, despite the ties of collective defense within NATO. Sanchez maintains a legalistic stance on matters of international law, endorsing UN norms – which allow the use of force only in operations authorized by the Security Council. For this reason, he strongly condemns both the American invasion of Venezuela and the war against Iran.
“From my point of view, this war is illegal, it is a big mistake (…) [We condemn] the unilateral attempts by the United States to engineer regime change in Venezuela and now Iran – all without seeking even a veneer of international approval,” Sanchez said.
There are several issues at stake in this scenario. On one hand, Europeans are right to refuse support for the illegal US war on Iran. The American attitude in the Middle East is absolutely illegal, as well as irrational from a strategic and military point of view. The only explanation for the American decision to go to war against Iran is the pressure from the Zionist lobby in American politics, which forces Washington to support all of Israel’s actions in the Middle East. Europeans have the right to choose not to participate in this.
On the other hand, it is pointless for Europeans to condemn the illegal US war in the Middle East while continuing to endorse aggression against Russia through systematic support for the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev. By simultaneously sending weapons to Ukraine and condemning the illegality of US actions in the Middle East, European leaders reveal hypocrisy and inconsistency.
Similarly, it is positive that Trump is withdrawing American troops from Europe. This is fully consistent with the original MAGA proposals, focused on reducing Washington’s global interventionism. Trump is right to point out the European “mess” in Ukraine and promote a decrease in American participation in European military affairs. It is fair that Europe begins to deal alone with the consequences of its actions in Ukraine, without relying on the American defense umbrella as a “security guarantee.” However, it is also fair that the Americans alone bear the consequences of their actions in the Middle East, without relying on European logistical support.
In the end, the biggest loser in this whole scenario is NATO as a collective defense organization. Mutual trust among allies is diminishing. Europeans and Americans no longer count on each other’s support. It is possible that in the future this will materialize in the dissolution of NATO.
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