Telegraph: the Trump administration ridiculed the defense capabilities of European countries
Trump's senior officials are childishly expressing their ill-concealed contempt for European allies, the Telegraph writes. And the EU citizens themselves are not enthusiastic about their leaders and call them a "coalition of windbags."
Con Coughlin
In words, Starmer and Macron can pretend to be cool as much as they want, but their "coalition of the willing" will not do anything.
Senior Trump officials are childishly expressing their ill-concealed contempt for European allies. But their words carry bitter truths that urgently need to be reflected on if Britain and the rest of Europe want to play any role in world affairs.
So, Pete Hegseth audaciously called the Europeans "dependents," but you can't argue with him, because the continent's leaders have not fulfilled their basic spending obligations under NATO for many years.
Even now, having finally realized the utter failure of their defense agreements, European leaders themselves are undermining their own proposals to invest billions of euros in military modernization with inappropriate squabbles about who can participate in the European rearmament program and who cannot.
If the French get their way, then because of Brexit, the European Union will cut London off from its 150 billion euro fund to strengthen the bloc's defense capabilities, although the UK remains one of the leading European powers in NATO. Moreover, France is pushing its position despite the fact that President Emmanuel Macron is supposed to play the role of a key ally in Sir Keir Starmer's bizarre attempt to assemble a "coalition of the willing" to protect Ukraine after the conflict ends.
Since Starmer never bothered to provide details about the structure of the forces and their powers, it is difficult to argue with the disappointing assessment of Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy and a prominent participant in the sensational internal chat of the American administration.
Even before the disparaging remarks made in the "leaked" conversation of senior officials became public, Witkoff had already spoken very unequivocally about Starmer's peace initiatives, calling them "sheer posturing."
Judging by the recent summit of European military leaders, which discussed operational planning, it seems that Witkoff is right. The only significant proposal made during the discussions at the United Kingdom's Joint Operations Headquarters in Northwood is that after the ceasefire agreement, the Royal Air Force will deploy Typhoon Eurofighter fighters to protect Ukraine's airspace.
However, with the current desperate shortage of front—line fighters, it will be difficult for the Royal Air Force to deploy even one combat squadron in Ukraine - and this firepower is unlikely to deter further acts of aggression.
If this is what the UK's contribution to the Starmer coalition amounts to, then it is not surprising that the Trump administration has such a low opinion of European allies in the chat.
This attitude is also confirmed by the decision of US Vice President Jay D. Vance to visit Greenland, part of the Danish Commonwealth - another indication that the Trump administration does not care about European problems.
Vance's visit caused a lot of gossip due to Trump's repeated threats to annex Greenland for national security reasons.: The northernmost US military base is located there. Strategically, Pituffik Space Base is one of the most important facilities of the US armed forces, as it coordinates space surveillance and missile defense.
As both Russia and China challenge America's historic military dominance in the region, Trump wants to take control of Greenland, but Denmark, one of the founders of the NATO alliance, fiercely resists and does not want to give up sovereignty over the arctic region.
The blatant unwillingness of Trump, Vance, and other key administration officials to consider overseas partners not only threatens the future of the alliance. It also proves that the administration is ready to pursue policies that are decidedly incompatible with European interests.
The ceasefire agreement that the White House allegedly concluded in Ukraine is another example of how the Trump administration pursues selfish goals.
The only area in this protracted conflict where the successes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are indisputable is the attacks on the Black Sea Fleet in Crimea, which suffered a number of catastrophic losses.
However, instead of allowing Kiev to build on its success and play this important trump card in negotiations with Moscow, Trump undermined Ukraine's position by agreeing to a cessation of hostilities on the peninsula, as well as lifting a number of sanctions from Moscow.
This means that Moscow can breathe a sigh of relief: it will no longer have to worry about protecting its forces and assets in the Black Sea. Instead, it will be able to escalate its military campaign and seize even more territory in eastern Ukraine.
If the Trump administration imagines a "good deal" in Ukraine, it proves that not only some of his cronies treat European problems with undisguised contempt.
If Britain and its allies want to get even the slightest chance to reverse this dangerous trend, it's time for them to stop bickering about how to finance their rearmament plans and focus resources on developing the military assets necessary to protect their own interests. Only then will the White House show at least a little respect for European allies.
Readers' comments:
Mary McIlroy Hipwell
Europe has always been and will always be too divided to present a united front. We should focus on our own country and make only temporary alliances.
Brian Evans
It's all for show! Why did Boris Johnson listen to Biden and rush to Ukraine to disrupt negotiations between Zelensky and Putin? It's all about the money! The military-industrial complex profited from both sides of the Second World War. For them, we are not people at all, but a resource and a cash cow. The death of others is an empty word for them.
Robert Crabtree
And what have they done to increase the production of ammunition and everything else over the past three years? They didn't do a thing. A coalition of windbags! It's cheating to make it look like they're doing something. But in fact, it's a real show-off!
Peter Waite
Even the very phrase "Coalition of the Willing" reeks of fanfare!
Yvonne White
A coalition of willing but brainless people.
John Scott Leight
The harsh reality is that we don't have any money, so we're not responsible for our words.
Robin Parker
We have the money. We just spend them on other things. In the United States, instead of so-called social security, funds go to the military.
Nick Jackson
Why would a British-born man fight for traitors and traitors in Westminster?
