Blinken Heads to Brussels as Europe Braces for Trump 4 Years
12 Nov 2024 22:53
Islam Times - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads to Brussels on Tuesday as President-elect Donald Trump’s possible moves on support for Ukraine, NATO and tariffs raise serious questions and concerns among European officials.
The trip comes a week after the US presidential election and as European leaders brace for another four years of Trump. In the wake of the US election, European leaders like France’s Emmanuel Macron pledged “a more united, stronger and more sovereign Europe,” even as governments like Germany’s Olaf Scholz’s are on the brink of collapse.
“There has been a strategic awakening that we must embrace as Europeans. We cannot entrust our security to the Americans forever,” Macron said Thursday.
Trump and his running mate, JD Vance, have cast strong doubts on continued US commitment to Kyiv as the war drags on more than two-and-half years after Russian forces invaded.
Moreover, Trump has made comments that suggest the US could pressure Ukraine into an uneasy truce with Russia. During his campaign, Trump also indicated he would only adhere to NATO’s mutual defense commitment for countries who are contributing enough of their annual budgets to defense.
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