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.

[E. Pluribus Unum]

NATO FA and FO.

It started in 1990 when James Baker promised Gorbachev that NATO would not expand one inch further eastward if Russia agreed to the reunification of Germany, thereby officially ending WW II.

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

--- "...entering a new world where it was harder to defraud on the United States."

[blackdog]

Democrats are an historically illiterate pack of thugs. The scary part is that they know it and don’t care.

[tumblindice]

“a new world where it was harder to depend on the United States.”
We have enough domestic dependents, and we’re busy now shedding millions of foreign dependents gifted us by democrats and cheap labor rinos.
Europe. You’re emancipated.

[webheart]

They need to figure it out. We have our own problems. They should probably conscript some of their Syrian refugees to staff their European army.

[dfwgator]

“Crisis”

The new Democratic Party buzzword.

[TwelveOfTwenty]

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.

Why don't they ask our allies in Afghanistan how reliable we were under Biden.

[rktman]

They may in crisis.....meh!

[AlaskaErik]

F Europe. Get our troops out of Europe and get out of NATO. That Eurotrash isn’t worth saving and it certainly isn’t worth even one American life. Our existential threat today is Red China, not Russia. That’s where we need to be focusing on.

[nwrep]

Gorbachev did not negotiate well. He should have insisted on it as part of a proposal instead of taking Baker’s word for it.

[AndyJackson]

Exactly. This was in crisis long before Trump ever got inot office.

[spincaster]

NYT is such a good bird cage bottom. Don’t know why they even put print on it.

[rfp1234]

MEGA. For starters, let the people vote. The war pig woke regimes will fall soon enough.

[clee1]

NATO and the UN have both long outlived their purpose.

[antidemoncrat]

“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.”

Sure because they could depend on Biden to fall asleep on the beach while the acting President caved in to what ever the EU wanted.

[albie]

First it was a “threat to our democracy” then a “constitutional crisis” now it’s just “crises”. Next up? Calamity? Sure Death for us all? I have poo pop britches?

[Worldtraveler once upon a time]

--- "MEGA. For starters, let the people vote. The war pig woke regimes will fall soon enough."

I suspect you are correct! Scholz is out. Macron soon. Starmer soon. And oddly, Orbán is among those who have clear electoral support. As the USAID NGOs must now cut budgetary corners big time, it is likely they will further weaken the corrupt elite.

[dfwgator]

Next, Mayhem!

[farmguy]

They SHOULD be in a state of crisis!

[ImJustAnotherOkie]

We saved their asses once and they rip us off.