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Europe fears weakened security ties with US as Donald Trump picks JD Vance
Allies anxious that an ‘America first’ administration would sever support for Ukraine
Felicia Schwartz in Aspen, Henry Foy in Brussels and John Paul Rathbone in London
Donald Trump’s selection of arch-isolationist JD Vance as his running mate has cemented Europe’s fears that a second Trump term would drastically reduce transatlantic security ties, increase tariffs and sever critical US support for Ukraine.
Vance has dismissed US security guarantees as a crutch that has allowed Europe “to ignore its own security” and argued that US aid for Ukraine is unnecessary.
Trump’s choice of the 39-year-old has intensified US allies’ concerns that he intends to run a protectionist “America first” administration, with huge implications for Europe’s defence and economic security.
“If Trump is elected and continues with the policy preferred by Vance, he may announce the abolition of Nato or US leadership of it at least,” said Rob Johnson, who recently stood down as director of the UK Ministry of Defence unit charged with gauging the country’s’ military strength.
“That would be the signal for Russia to regenerate its power over a decade with China, and apply more coercion against Nato,” he added. “We are entering a very dark period indeed.”
Trump’s lead in polling ahead of November’s vote and incumbent Joe Biden’s stumbling performance in their first televised debate have already unnerved European capitals fearful that the Republican will return to the White House.
Reacting to Vance’s nomination as Trump’s prospective vice-president, Guy Verhofstadt, a member of the European parliament and former Belgian prime minister, posted on X that there would be “more champagne popping in the Kremlin”.
He added: “Are Europe and UK preparing yet or still shuffling the deckchairs on the Titanic?”
In a further sign of possible transatlantic tensions, Vance suggested in a speech last week that the UK under its new Labour government could become an “Islamist country”.
Referring to a discussion about what would be “the first truly Islamist country that will get a nuclear weapon”, he mentioned Pakistan and Iran and then added: “Maybe it’s actually the UK, since Labour just took over.”
Trump claimed this year that London had become “unrecognisable” because it had “opened its doors to jihad”, referring to pro-Palestinian protests. About 6.5 per cent of the UK’s population is Muslim.
Deputy UK prime minister Angela Rayner said on Tuesday she did not “recognise” Vance’s characterisation of Britain under the new Labour government, adding that it was “interested in . . . working with our international allies”.
In an interview last year, Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, praised Vance’s memoir Hillbilly Elegy, saying it had moved him to tears.
But he added it was “tragic” that a “self-declared conservative opponent of Donald Trump, who analyses so trenchantly the injustices of American society”, had “turned into such a fiery advocate of this rightwing populist, just to gain his support and himself become a senator”.
More broadly, many European officials worry that Trump would use a second term to impose blanket tariffs on imports that would damage the EU economy and are also concerned about the impact of his policies on the Nato alliance and the war in Ukraine.
Nils Schmid, foreign affairs spokesman of Germany’s ruling Social Democrats, described Vance as “more radical than Trump in his desire to suspend all further US military aid to Ukraine”.
He added: “In that respect he’s more isolationist than Trump.”
The US agreed to send an additional Patriot air defence system to Kyiv this month after the country pleaded for resources to repel almost daily Russian bombardments of civilian targets and critical infrastructure.
But Vance has repeatedly called for Ukraine to cede territory to end the war, arguing such a settlement would be in Washington’s best interests.
The position closely aligns with the terms laid out by Russian President Vladimir Putin last month to begin peace talks.
Kyiv has rejected calls for peace talks with Moscow while Russia occupies large parts of the country. But Trump intends to demand such talks immediately if he wins the election and has “well-founded plans” on how to do so, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said after meeting him last week.
“The person who openly said ‘Ukraine is going to have to cede some territory to the Russians’ cannot be the best representation of US politics,” said Inna Sovsun, a Ukrainian lawmaker from the liberal Golos party. “Russia is our common enemy.”
“The choice of Vance is a clear signal for us,” she added, arguing that Ukraine would need to “think of a new strategy of communication with the Americans” if Trump won the election.
Some European countries have welcomed the Vance nomination and expressed optimism about a possible second Trump term.
In a reference to policy on Ukraine, Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó posted a photo of Trump and Vance with the words “The hope for peace”, while Balázs Orbán, another top official, added on X: “A Trump-Vance administration sounds just right.”
Ukrainian officials see House Speaker Mike Johnson’s decision to allow the $60bn assistance package through Congress this year as a glimmer of hope that future aid could continue during a Trump presidency.
While the former president, who casts a long shadow over House Republicans, has been sceptical of US aid to Ukraine, he suggested in April that he was open to the passage of the funding package.
Ihor Zhovkva, foreign policy adviser to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said he believed Trump would stick to a recent security deal between Washington and Kyiv.
“I haven’t actually heard Trump talking about the idea of slowing down US leadership of the world,” Zhovkva said.
But Trump allies such as Vance and Ric Grenell, who is seen as a top contender to be secretary of state, have signalled that they would seek to shift away from open-ended support for Kyiv if the former president wins in November.
You have to weaken your security ties regardless of his VP pick because Trump cannot be trusted with any secrets, military or otherwise, and cannot be trusted to uphold any alliance or treaty.
You gotta put everything on hold until Trump leaves or dies, if the US feels like returning to sensible politics again afterwards (big if given the state of republicans), maybe continue.
Its already clear that America cant be trusted to be a reliable ally, because one of the two parties is keen on isolationism and is infiltrated by Russia.
Fears? Seriously? What more do the Americans have to do for us to understand the alliance is breaking up?
Make EU great again and make Trump pay for it!
Hopefully the Poles will be there to save us and Germany seeing how powerful the Polish army is becoming to become jealous and also wanting to have a huge army.
We’ll have to deal with Russia ourselves apparently, tho it is sad that China’s dream of a fragmented West is slowly coming to reality
This takes the line that NATO won’t hold if trump wins. What it doesn’t take into account is how Europe has woken up to the ruzzian threat. The fact that NATO has expanded and that spending on defence is up. It may need to go up again but Europe will hold and Europe will stand against ruzzia with or without the us
Maybe we should have seen this coming after Trump got elected the first time… It’s time to invest in our security. We never should have weakened ourselves that much in the first place.
Honestly, good
I’m sick of Europe (UK included) relying on the US rather than pursuing our own defence policy.
I mean, I’ve feared this since he threatened to withdraw the first time. Vance doesn’t change anything imo.
One of the privileges America gets for helping Europe and east Asia out with security, is the mighty dollar is worlds benchmark currency, meaning they are not in the same way punished for holding the finger on “print”, free money glitch essentially.
If USA abandon Europe we should start making all our business in Euro or other appropriate currencies, it’s ridiculous iron ore from Sweden or oil from Norway is traded in $ etc.
A knife in the back must have consequences, as thanks for security they get the mighty dollar and make the rules, no help with security then no dollar and no rules, in true isolationism fashion ofc just like they like it.
Trump will be the end of America’s domination.
Next thing you know Europe ill be shipping arms to China….oh wait.
# Why are European Allies Arming China?Why are European Allies Arming China?
It seems, we finally need to grow up and pay the bills for our own security. Duh!
you know I can just taunt Vance as the most shittiest person from a global earth pov- I mean his views vs the world. He must be feeling small and lonely.
16 comments
Hi, thank you for your contribution, but this submission has been removed because it links to paywalled content. Linked content should be accessible to all r/europe users.
If you have any questions about this removal, please [contact the mods](/message/compose/?to=/r/Europe&subject=Moderation). Please make sure to include a link to the comment/post in question.
Europe fears weakened security ties with US as Donald Trump picks JD Vance
Allies anxious that an ‘America first’ administration would sever support for Ukraine
Felicia Schwartz in Aspen, Henry Foy in Brussels and John Paul Rathbone in London
Donald Trump’s selection of arch-isolationist JD Vance as his running mate has cemented Europe’s fears that a second Trump term would drastically reduce transatlantic security ties, increase tariffs and sever critical US support for Ukraine.
Vance has dismissed US security guarantees as a crutch that has allowed Europe “to ignore its own security” and argued that US aid for Ukraine is unnecessary.
Trump’s choice of the 39-year-old has intensified US allies’ concerns that he intends to run a protectionist “America first” administration, with huge implications for Europe’s defence and economic security.
“If Trump is elected and continues with the policy preferred by Vance, he may announce the abolition of Nato or US leadership of it at least,” said Rob Johnson, who recently stood down as director of the UK Ministry of Defence unit charged with gauging the country’s’ military strength.
“That would be the signal for Russia to regenerate its power over a decade with China, and apply more coercion against Nato,” he added. “We are entering a very dark period indeed.”
Trump’s lead in polling ahead of November’s vote and incumbent Joe Biden’s stumbling performance in their first televised debate have already unnerved European capitals fearful that the Republican will return to the White House.
Reacting to Vance’s nomination as Trump’s prospective vice-president, Guy Verhofstadt, a member of the European parliament and former Belgian prime minister, posted on X that there would be “more champagne popping in the Kremlin”.
He added: “Are Europe and UK preparing yet or still shuffling the deckchairs on the Titanic?”
In a further sign of possible transatlantic tensions, Vance suggested in a speech last week that the UK under its new Labour government could become an “Islamist country”.
Referring to a discussion about what would be “the first truly Islamist country that will get a nuclear weapon”, he mentioned Pakistan and Iran and then added: “Maybe it’s actually the UK, since Labour just took over.”
Trump claimed this year that London had become “unrecognisable” because it had “opened its doors to jihad”, referring to pro-Palestinian protests. About 6.5 per cent of the UK’s population is Muslim.
Deputy UK prime minister Angela Rayner said on Tuesday she did not “recognise” Vance’s characterisation of Britain under the new Labour government, adding that it was “interested in . . . working with our international allies”.
In an interview last year, Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, praised Vance’s memoir Hillbilly Elegy, saying it had moved him to tears.
But he added it was “tragic” that a “self-declared conservative opponent of Donald Trump, who analyses so trenchantly the injustices of American society”, had “turned into such a fiery advocate of this rightwing populist, just to gain his support and himself become a senator”.
More broadly, many European officials worry that Trump would use a second term to impose blanket tariffs on imports that would damage the EU economy and are also concerned about the impact of his policies on the Nato alliance and the war in Ukraine.
Nils Schmid, foreign affairs spokesman of Germany’s ruling Social Democrats, described Vance as “more radical than Trump in his desire to suspend all further US military aid to Ukraine”.
He added: “In that respect he’s more isolationist than Trump.”
The US agreed to send an additional Patriot air defence system to Kyiv this month after the country pleaded for resources to repel almost daily Russian bombardments of civilian targets and critical infrastructure.
But Vance has repeatedly called for Ukraine to cede territory to end the war, arguing such a settlement would be in Washington’s best interests.
The position closely aligns with the terms laid out by Russian President Vladimir Putin last month to begin peace talks.
Kyiv has rejected calls for peace talks with Moscow while Russia occupies large parts of the country. But Trump intends to demand such talks immediately if he wins the election and has “well-founded plans” on how to do so, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said after meeting him last week.
“The person who openly said ‘Ukraine is going to have to cede some territory to the Russians’ cannot be the best representation of US politics,” said Inna Sovsun, a Ukrainian lawmaker from the liberal Golos party. “Russia is our common enemy.”
“The choice of Vance is a clear signal for us,” she added, arguing that Ukraine would need to “think of a new strategy of communication with the Americans” if Trump won the election.
Some European countries have welcomed the Vance nomination and expressed optimism about a possible second Trump term.
In a reference to policy on Ukraine, Hungarian foreign minister Péter Szijjártó posted a photo of Trump and Vance with the words “The hope for peace”, while Balázs Orbán, another top official, added on X: “A Trump-Vance administration sounds just right.”
Ukrainian officials see House Speaker Mike Johnson’s decision to allow the $60bn assistance package through Congress this year as a glimmer of hope that future aid could continue during a Trump presidency.
While the former president, who casts a long shadow over House Republicans, has been sceptical of US aid to Ukraine, he suggested in April that he was open to the passage of the funding package.
Ihor Zhovkva, foreign policy adviser to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said he believed Trump would stick to a recent security deal between Washington and Kyiv.
“I haven’t actually heard Trump talking about the idea of slowing down US leadership of the world,” Zhovkva said.
But Trump allies such as Vance and Ric Grenell, who is seen as a top contender to be secretary of state, have signalled that they would seek to shift away from open-ended support for Kyiv if the former president wins in November.
You have to weaken your security ties regardless of his VP pick because Trump cannot be trusted with any secrets, military or otherwise, and cannot be trusted to uphold any alliance or treaty.
You gotta put everything on hold until Trump leaves or dies, if the US feels like returning to sensible politics again afterwards (big if given the state of republicans), maybe continue.
Its already clear that America cant be trusted to be a reliable ally, because one of the two parties is keen on isolationism and is infiltrated by Russia.
Fears? Seriously?
What more do the Americans have to do for us to understand the alliance is breaking up?
Make EU great again and make Trump pay for it!
Hopefully the Poles will be there to save us and Germany seeing how powerful the Polish army is becoming to become jealous and also wanting to have a huge army.
We’ll have to deal with Russia ourselves apparently, tho it is sad that China’s dream of a fragmented West is slowly coming to reality
This takes the line that NATO won’t hold if trump wins. What it doesn’t take into account is how Europe has woken up to the ruzzian threat. The fact that NATO has expanded and that spending on defence is up. It may need to go up again but Europe will hold and Europe will stand against ruzzia with or without the us
Maybe we should have seen this coming after Trump got elected the first time…
It’s time to invest in our security. We never should have weakened ourselves that much in the first place.
Honestly, good
I’m sick of Europe (UK included) relying on the US rather than pursuing our own defence policy.
I mean, I’ve feared this since he threatened to withdraw the first time. Vance doesn’t change anything imo.
One of the privileges America gets for helping Europe and east Asia out with security, is the mighty dollar is worlds benchmark currency, meaning they are not in the same way punished for holding the finger on “print”, free money glitch essentially.
If USA abandon Europe we should start making all our business in Euro or other appropriate currencies, it’s ridiculous iron ore from Sweden or oil from Norway is traded in $ etc.
A knife in the back must have consequences, as thanks for security they get the mighty dollar and make the rules, no help with security then no dollar and no rules, in true isolationism fashion ofc just like they like it.
Trump will be the end of America’s domination.
Next thing you know Europe ill be shipping arms to China….oh wait.
# Why are European Allies Arming China?Why are European Allies Arming China?
# [https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/natosource/why-are-european-allies-arming-china/](https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/natosource/why-are-european-allies-arming-china/)
It seems, we finally need to grow up and pay the bills for our own security. Duh!
you know I can just taunt Vance as the most shittiest person from a global earth pov- I mean his views vs the world. He must be feeling small and lonely.