LATIMES – July 23, 2018: Deeply alarmed at President Trump’s attacks on NATO and the transatlantic relationship, European governments are rethinking their reliance on the United States as a strategic ally against Russia, but they are unlikely to make regional security arrangements independent of Washington.
Trump has forced the reassessment in recent days by calling the European Union a “foe,” expressing reservations about defending other NATO members, and blasting Germany and other allies — comments he said were aimed at strengthening the U.S.-European alliance but that raised concerns across the continent.
“We can no longer fully rely on the White House,” Heiko Maas, Germany’s foreign minister, said Monday, a position echoed by other senior European officials and diplomats. “The first clear consequence can only be that we need to align ourselves even more closely in Europe.”
But European allies bewildered by Trump’s seeming hostility for NATO must confront a sobering reality: They have few good alternatives for protecting themselves against Russia or other potential adversaries.
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CrossTalk: Transatlantic Crisis?
RT – July 23, 2018: The Transatlantic relationship has had many ups and downs since its inception after the Second World War. It is said the relationship has weathered these moments of tensions and differences due to American leadership. Now enter Donald Trump. Can the transatlantic relationship survive the current occupant in the White House?
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