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Europe indispensable measurement up efforts connected defence and play a bigger relation successful NATO arsenic US President Donald Trump has "shaken the transatlantic narration to its foundation", EU apical diplomat Kaja Kallas said Wednesday (January 28, 2026).
Mr. Trump rocked European allies this period by threatening to prehend Greenland from NATO and EU subordinate Denmark — earlier yet backing off.
The situation — the latest to buffet ties since his instrumentality to powerfulness a twelvemonth agone — has reinforced calls for the continent to chopped its decades-long reliance connected NATO's ascendant subject superpower for protection.
"Let maine beryllium clear: we privation beardown transatlantic ties. The US volition stay Europe's spouse and ally. But Europe needs to accommodate to the caller realities. Europe is nary longer Washington's superior centre of gravity," Ms. Kallas told a defence league successful Brussels.
"This displacement has been ongoing for a while. It is structural, not temporary. It means that Europe indispensable measurement up — nary large powerfulness successful past has outsourced its endurance and survived."
Ms. Kallas remained clear-eyed that NATO remains the bedrock of European security.
She said EU efforts should "remain complementary" to those of the alliance, but insisted Europe needed to play a bigger role.
"Especially now, arsenic the US is mounting its sights beyond Europe, NATO needs to go much European to support its strength," she said.
"For this, Europe indispensable act."
European countries person already ramped up defence budgets since Russia invaded Ukraine, and agreed past twelvemonth to massively hike NATO's spending people nether unit from Mr. Trump.
The EU past twelvemonth besides launched a raft of initiatives that it says could spot its members plough an further €800 cardinal into defence.
Washington meantime has said it wants European allies to instrumentality implicit much work for the accepted defence of the continent arsenic U.S. absorption switches to different threats similar China.
'Keep connected dreaming'
Ms. Kallas' comments travel aft NATO main Mark Rutte told EU lawmakers to "keep connected dreaming" if they thought Europe could support itself without the United States.
Mr. Rutte insisted Europe would person to treble its spending targets to spend the "billions and billions of euros" it would outgo to regenerate the U.S. atomic umbrella.
The caput of the Western subject confederation warned that if Europe tried to physique its ain forces to regenerate the United States successful NATO past it would play into Russian person Vladimir Putin's hands.
"Putin volition emotion it. So deliberation again," Mr. Rutte said.
Instead helium urged the EU to usage its accepted strengths to make backing and chopped regularisation to assistance the defence manufacture grow.
EU defence commissioner Andrius Kubilius, speaking astatine the aforesaid lawsuit arsenic Ms. Kallas, insisted Europe needed to "rapidly physique our independency — independency successful defence: without delays and without excuses".
"To beryllium clear, independency does not mean alone. Independence means together," helium added.
Camille Grand, the caput of European defence lobby radical ASD, told AFP manufacturers would beryllium capable to lucifer astir each the capabilities the United States tin nutrient successful the coming years.
But helium said the purpose was not to destruct US enactment wholly — but alternatively for European forces to beryllium capable to instrumentality the pb successful defending the continent.
"Is the baseline scenario: the United States defends Europe, oregon does Europe support Europe with the assistance of the United States?" helium said.
"It is important that Europeans scope this 2nd script arsenic rapidly arsenic possible."
