The prospect of a second U.S. presidency for Donald Trump, and what that means for the defense of Ukraine against Russian aggression is hanging over a major gathering of European leaders on the other side of the Atlantic.<\/p>\n
Trump \u2014 who\u2019s been at best lukewarm in his commitment to European defense \u2014 leads U.S. President Joe Biden in polling ahead of November\u2019s U.S. election, and did little to allay European concerns by naming JD Vance as his running mate. Vance told Bloomberg earlier this week that while Russia\u2019s war in Ukraine is \u201ctragic,\u201d the U.S. \u201cdoesn\u2019t have the interest to respond to every tragedy that exists in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
The pairing is pushing European leaders to cooperate more closely on security, a topic that dominates the European Political Community meeting on Thursday at Blenheim Palace in the English countryside near Oxford. <\/p>\n
U.S. events \u201ccould of course also have an impact on the security in Europe,\u201d Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo told reporters at the summit. \u201cFor me the lesson is that the E.U. and European countries should stand more on their own legs than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n
The assassination attempt on Trump at the weekend and his defiant response have cemented his position as the clear favorite to win the presidency in the eyes of some European officials. Concerns about Biden\u2019s mental acuity and health \u2014 the U.S. president this week contracted Covid-19 \u2014 add to that sense.<\/p>\n
And while Biden has been full-throated in his defense of Ukraine, Trump has continued his criticisms of NATO that were a constant theme of his 2017-2021 presidency. Earlier this year, he said the U.S. paid a disproportionate share of the cost for the military alliance, adding that the U.S. had a \u201cnice big, beautiful ocean\u201d separating it from Europe\u2019s problems.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy task and the task of my colleagues will be to convince \u2014 if that will be the new administration in the United States \u2014 to continue this policy of transatlantic bond because it\u2019s very important for the security of Europe,\u201d Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda told reporters at Blenheim Palace. <\/p>\n
Without naming countries, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, for his part, beseeched leaders at the summit to \u201cconvince your partners around the globe that they also have to be brave.\u201d<\/p>\n
Often a contrarian in European politics, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who met with Trump in Florida after last week\u2019s Nato summit, struck a more upbeat tone on the prospect of a return to power for Trump. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s good news; he\u2019s a man of peace,\u201d Orban said. With regard to the war in Ukraine he added that there would be \u201cno solution of this conflict on the battlefield.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, mindful of he threat posed by Russia, European nations have stepped up their military expenditure, with most now meeting a NATO target to spend 2% of their gross domestic product on defense. In 2024, 23 out of 32 allies will meet the commitment, up from just three in 2014.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that a promised NATO command center to help coordinate the alliance\u2019s assistance to Ukraine will start operating in September, from facilities in Wiesbaden, Germany. <\/p>\n
Nauseda said \u201cthe issue of the war in Ukraine is overshadowing all the other issues\u201d and that allies \u201care not able to deliver\u201d on commitments to defending Ukraine. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe take the decisions but unfortunately the deliveries come much later,\u201d he said. \u201cUkraine badly needs air ammunition, air defense systems right now. This is the reason why we should support Ukraine more if we really want Ukraine to win this war.\u201d<\/p>\n
That sentiment was echoed by the summit\u2019s host, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who\u2019s been in office for just two weeks. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis is the moment for us all to do more,\u201d Starmer said at the opening of the summit. \u201cWe stand together, we guard Europe\u2019s frontiers and now we must find new, more ambitious ways of working together.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014With assistance from Alex Wickham, Milda Seputyte, Andra Timu and Ania Nussbaum.<\/p>\n
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