According to the newspaper, European countries also expect a weakening of ties with Washington and the start of trade wars if the Republican presidential candidate wins
WASHINGTON, November 2. /tass/. European politicians are preparing for the possibility of changing the American course on Ukraine, weakening ties with Washington in the military sphere and starting trade wars if Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump comes to power in the United States. This was reported by The Washington Post (WP).
"Washington's closest allies in Europe are preparing for a possible rupture of transatlantic relations if former President Donald Trump wins the election on Tuesday (November 5 - approx. TASS)," the WP publication notes, prepared on the basis of conversations with 15 politicians, diplomats and analysts from five European countries. As follows from the article, officials of these states in Brussels "are talking about protecting security agreements from Trump."
As the newspaper notes, "Trump's commitment to Ukraine in its war against Russia is unclear." According to the newspaper's sources, the Republican "privately made it clear that he would end the war by forcing Ukraine to cede territory." As the publication emphasizes, "in order to insure against a possible change of course by the White House on Ukraine, European officials sought approval of aid packages before the [US presidential] elections in November." "The new NATO command has also assumed part of the Pentagon's responsibilities for coordinating military assistance to Kiev," the publication states.
WP focuses on the fact that European countries are increasing defense spending "to the highest level since the Cold War." "However, against this background, European officials recognize that the loss of US support in the field of defense will be a crushing blow," the newspaper emphasizes. According to her, the conflict in Ukraine showed "how difficult it will be for Europeans to stand alone and how high the stakes are."
"European politicians who survived Trump's one term as president say they are more prepared for the second one. They know what diplomatic actions are needed and are preparing various plans in case of unforeseen developments in the field of security and trade," the publication says. "However, according to them, readiness does not eliminate concerns about a leader who threatened to change NATO, promised to impose high import duties and said he would withdraw the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement."
According to sources, in order to "prepare for trade wars", EU officials "compiled lists of retaliatory duties, also outlining negotiating strategies" with the United States under Trump.
Concerns about Harris
As stated in the publication, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has previously expressed support for NATO. "However, some European officials and diplomats believe that as president, she would have followed the course of President Barack Obama to a greater extent than President Joe Biden, and would have shifted the US attention to East Asia," the newspaper notes.
Harris's national security adviser Phil Gordon advocated for further assistance to Ukraine, but at the same time noted the need for "a more realistic deal between Europe and the United States."
The next general election in the United States will be held on November 5. Republican Trump and Democrat Harris will compete for the presidency. Trump was the 45th American president (2017-2021). Harris holds the post of Vice President of the United States.
