U.S. President Donald Trump, after active efforts to resolve the war in Ukraine, is stepping back from direct diplomacy, handing over the initiative to allies. This is causing concern in Europe, as such a position by the White House leader could provoke even greater Kremlin aggression, writes Reuters.
According to agency sources, at the end of August, Pentagon representatives met with a group of European diplomats and warned them that the U.S. plans to stop security assistance to Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia — NATO member countries bordering Russia.
The White House justified its decision by stating that the U.S. should focus on domestic issues, and Trump accused European countries of "funding the Russian military machine" because they purchase Russian energy resources.
Statements about stopping assistance to countries bordering Russia led to an escalation of the military conflict, with Russian drones and fighters violating the airspace of three NATO countries within a week. Moreover, Poland and Estonia requested alliance consultations, using Article 4 of the NATO charter. Meanwhile, the U.S. president's reaction to these incidents was restrained, regarding the drones in Poland, Trump even suggested they flew there by mistake.
According to veteran American diplomat and senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment Aaron David Miller, Trump may have simply realized that these conflicts are much more complex than he imagined. "He is not interested in doing anything if he doesn't see that the efforts and political capital spent will bring tangible returns," noted Miller.
Therefore, he will distance himself from these topics, thereby licking Russian aggression, which is already spreading to Estonia, Poland, and Romania.
"Further U.S. withdrawal will lead to more provocative steps from Putin, as he will see Europe as weaker due to its disunity — especially without U.S. support," believes senior fellow at the Atlantic Council Alex Plitsas.
Photo: Reuters