Trump Team Leaves Behind an Alliance in Crisis

The New York Times ^ | Feb. 16, 2025 Updated 11:02 a.m. ET | David E. Sanger and Steven Erlanger

[E. Pluribus Unum]

European leaders felt certain about one thing after a whirlwind tour by Trump officials — they were entering a new world where it was harder to depend on the United States.

Many critical issues were left uncertain — including the fate of Ukraine — at the end of Europe’s first encounter with an angry and impatient Trump administration. But one thing was clear: An epochal breach appears to be opening in the Western alliance.

After three years of war that forged a new unity within NATO, the Trump administration has made clear it is planning to focus its attention elsewhere: in Asia, Latin America, the Arctic and anywhere President Trump believes the United States can obtain critical mineral rights.

European officials who emerged from a meeting with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said they now expect that tens of thousands of American troops will be pulled out of Europe — the only question is how many, and how fast.

And they fear that in one-on-one negotiations with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, Mr. Trump is on his way to agreeing to terms that could ultimately put Moscow in a position to own a fifth of Ukraine and to prepare to take the rest in a few years’ time. Mr. Putin’s ultimate goal, they believe, is to break up the NATO alliance.

Those fears spilled out on the stage of the Munich Security Conference on Saturday morning, when President Volodymyr Zelensky declared that “Ukraine will never accept deals made behind our backs.” He then called optimistically for the creation of an “army of Europe,” one that includes his now battle-hardened Ukrainian forces. He was advocating, in essence, a military alternative to NATO, a force that would make its own decisions without the influence — or the military control — of the United States.

[AnotherUnixGeek]

"...they were entering a new world where it was harder to depend on leech off the United States."

[SteveH]

> …once…

Twice

[cowboyusa]

PAY US BACK INGREATES!

[FLT-bird]

Time for the Yurps - especially Germany - to grow up and start providing for their own defense.

[technically right]

European officials know that US troops will be withdrawn but the question is how many and how fast.

Answer: All of them, starting fuc!ng TOMORROW!!

[Palio di Siena]

Twice ….after we saved em the second time- we spent $trillions over there on the Marshall Plan and NATO over the last EIGHTY years and dimwit no testosterone wimps gave the place away to the friggin muzzies.
For crying out loud, let’s just get out.

[WeaslesRippedMyFlesh]

It was chaos last week

constitutional crisis the week

I heard NYT is the source of central narrative coordination

Need to crush that.

[lurk]

Why would the EU want to depend on the US? Our wine and bread isn’t that great, we eat BBQ with our fingers, we have loud home defense devices, and we like free speech.

[Z28.310]

Rescuing another human from their continued foolishness is a fool’s errand.

So too is rescuing another nation state, or domestic state (e.g. NY, CA, WA, OR, IL, MI) from their continued foolishness.

At some point, one must simply walk away, leaving them to their own choices, decisions and self-created consequences.

Continuing the rescuing cycle demonstrates lack of wisdom in both examples, not realizing that in perpetuating the behavior, the rescuer ALWAYS pays the price and the rescuee NEVER faces the consequences and pain of their OWN actions and had no desire, or need to change. The cycle must stop, just like a host/parasite relationship.

The US, under President Trump is stopping the government cycles.

Finally!

[dgbrown]

Our allies have always let the US “do the right thing”, while they bitch about how evil we are. Screw them.

[dfwgator]

Our allies have always let the US “do the right thing”, while they bitch about how evil we are. Screw them.

---

Let’s Drop The Big One!

[SunkenCiv]

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[catnipman]

or

European leaders felt certain about one thing after a whirlwind tour by Trump officials — they were entering a new world where it was harder to depend on milk the United States.

[FlipWilson]

Meanwhile, who cares?!?

How is it in crisis? It won’t get to fleece us any longer?

[catnipman]

Western Europe has had three quarters of a century in which they COULD have prepared to defend themselves against the Soviet Union ... instead, they steadily reduced their defense spending and overall preparedness, while encouraging a massive invasion of indigent muslim peasants who have ravaged the individual nations with massive violent crime and diluted their centuries old historic cultures to the point of becoming minority cultures in their own countries ... Western Europe made their own beds, so let them wallow in them ... i say, cut Western Europe loose and let them sink or swim on their own ...

[HenpeckedCon]

Why would the EU want to depend on the US? Our wine and bread isn’t that great, we eat BBQ with our fingers, we have loud home defense devices, and we like free speech.
______________________________________________________________

And we bathe.

[catnipman]

and here’s another thing: the Ukraine invasion never would have happened if Donald Trump had been re-elected as President after his first term, yet pretty much all of Western Europe hated President Trump’s guts and did everything in their power to help Biden get elected ... well, they got the guy they wanted for President along with a war that’s bankrupting everyone involved ... i say, payback is a bitch ...

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

Well amended. The parasites are not happy to be rejected by the host. In fact, they are downright angry.

[Bikkuri]

WHAT alliance?

[AndyTheBear]

they were entering a new world where it was harder to depend on take advantage of the United States.

Fixed it.