A blowup at the White House on Friday proved a rude awakening for some of the US’s closest partners in Europe, and left them scrambling to contemplate a world in which they can no longer be sure that the US is a reliable ally in Russia’s war on Ukraine.
In the wake of President Donald Trump and his team accosting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a heated, televised exchange in the Oval Office, European leaders met to devise a plan for protecting Ukraine from Russian aggression absent any security guarantees from the US.
And though multiple leaders, from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer to NATO leader Mark Rutte, insisted that they still view the US as an important partner, the meeting nevertheless seemed like it might mark the abrupt beginning of a new Western world order — one in which Europe stands alone.
The UK and France have led efforts in recent weeks to advance Ukraine’s cause and to convince Trump to keep Ukraine’s (and Europe’s) best interests in mind as he attempts to craft a ceasefire or peace deal in Russia’s years-long war on Ukraine.
Sunday, Starmer presided over a summit of more than a dozen mostly European leaders and announced that the attendees would form a “coalition of the willing” to defend Ukraine and strengthen Europe’s military capabilities.
“Not every nation will feel able to contribute but that can’t mean that we sit back,” Starmer said. “Instead, those willing will intensify planning now with real urgency.”
That coalition could lead to UK troops on the ground in Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping force, should a ceasefire or peace deal come about, Starmer said. France and the UK reportedly have a ceasefire framework that Zelenskyy said he’s been briefed on.
Starmer did emphasize, however, that many in the group, including the UK, believe lasting peace will not be possible without US support. And while Starmer said he had a productive conversation with Trump about Ukraine this weekend, it’s not clear that US support will materialize.
That’s in part because the Trump administration and its allies reiterated throughout the weekend that they believe their current approach to peace — that is, holding talks with Russia sans Ukraine and blaming Ukraine for the war — is the right one. Trump adviser Elon Musk suggested on X that the US contemplate leaving the NATO security alliance.
The Trump team also redoubled their attacks on Zelenskyy on Sunday, with some going so far as to suggest the Ukrainian president ought to be replaced.
“The sooner everyone grows up around here and figures out that this is a bad war that’s heading in a bad direction…the more progress we’re going to be able to make,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on ABC Sunday. “But the president is crystal clear…he is going to be a president that tries to achieve peace.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth also announced Sunday that the Pentagon will cease offensive cyber operations against Russia — a tactic that could be seen as an olive branch to Russian President Vladimir Putin, meant to ease peace negotiations. European leaders — who have faced covert Russian attacks on their soil in recent months — warned against the move, arguing Putin cannot be trusted.
All of this tumult comes as Trump attempts to fulfill a campaign promise to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. But it also seems to be a case of Trump getting something he’s long demanded: that Europe increase its defense contributions while the US takes a step back from the conflict.
Europe appears to be doing just that now.
The UK announced over the weekend that it will send $2 billion in air defense missiles to Ukraine and will increase military spending by 2.5 percent of gross domestic product by 2027.
Other countries may make similar commitments. But it may not be enough for Europe to stand alone against Russia in the short term after decades of underinvestment in defense.
Still, Europe seems willing to try. And under Trump’s radical new foreign policy, European countries may have no other choice but to do so.