Yuri Grips / EPA
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and US President Donald Trump, in the Oval Office of the White House
A new survey shows that Europeans are increasingly distrustful of the United States and believe that transatlantic relations will improve with Trump’s departure. The Portuguese are the ones who most want an alternative to NATO with only EU members.
Confidence in the United States as a guarantor of Europe’s security has fallen to the lowest level ever recordedaccording to a new survey published by the European Foreign Affairs Council (ECFR).
The survey, carried out in 15 European countries ahead of the next G7 and NATO summits, found that only 11% of respondents they now consider the US an ally that shares Europe’s interests and values. The number represents a sharp decline from the 16% recorded six months ago and the 22% predicted by the end of 2024, reflecting what researchers described as a “deep European distrust” of Washington.
The survey suggests that many Europeans are increasingly skeptical that US honors its security commitments in the event of an attack on a European country. The majority of respondents in all nations surveyed expressed doubts that Washington would come to their defense. In contrast, the majority of respondents said they believed that at least some European neighbors would provide assistance in a similar crisis.
Researchers attribute this change, in part, to policies and statements of the US presidentDonald Trump, including threats to reduce the American military presence in Europe, criticism of NATO and controversial positions on international security issues. These developments encouraged many Europeans to consider a more self-sufficient approach to defense.
The results reveal growing public support for increase in military expenditure across the continent. On average, Europeans are now more likely to support higher national defense budgets than they were a year ago. However, this support diminishes when respondents are asked whether domestic public spending should be reduced to finance these increases.
Portugal emerges as the country that would most accept taking on common debt to finance Defense, with 59% of those interviewed supporting this proposal, placing the country ahead of others such as Denmark (56%), the Netherlands (55%) and Spain (53%). The research points out that, in general terms, the Portuguese are those who would most support an increase in the Defense budget to reduce dependence on the USA.
Portugal is also one of the countries that most supports the sending of troops nationals for a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine after the end of the conflict, coming in fourth with 53%, just behind Sweden (61%), Spain (55%) and Denmark (54%), contrasting with the majority of citizens from other countries who oppose this measure.
The Portuguese (50%) are also those who more support the idea of enlarging the European Union (EU) to the east, including Ukraine, followed by Spain (43%) and Sweden (42%).
Despite concerns about US reliability, Europeans continue reluctant to completely replace NATO. Only 29% of respondents support the creation of an EU-only defense organization to replace the alliance. However, Portugal leads among the countries most favorable to the idea, with 38% of respondents in favor.
Most believe that the transatlantic relations should improve after Trump’s departure from office, a view that was particularly widespread in France, Spain, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden and shared by 58% of Portuguese people.
The results point to a Europe increasingly determined to strengthen its own security, maintaining, but without completely depending on, its long-standing alliance with the United States.
