Europe wants to replace the US with NATO? Informal talks are ongoing

Among the countries active in informal talks are the United Kingdom, France, Germany and the Nordic countries.

Work on plans to take over greater work for defending Europe was triggered by president Donald Trump's repeated threats of weakening or withdrawing from the transatlantic alliance that protected Europe for almost 8 decades.

Europe wants to replace the US with NATO? Informal talks are ongoing

The plan includes commitments to increase defence spending in Europe and to make military capacity. This would convince Trump to accept a gradual transfer of power that would enable the United States to focus more on Asia.

The United States, which spend more than all another NATO allies together in defence, are indispensable to Europe's security. In addition to atomic deterrence, the U.S. manage air, sea, and military bases. There are 80,000 American soldiers stationed in Europe.

According to officials, it takes about 5–10 years of increased spending to rise European capabilities to a level at which they could replace most of the United States' competences, apart from American atomic deterrence.

"The only option we have is to increase spending: sharing burdens and reducing dependency on the US," said 1 official. "We are starting talks, but the scale of this task is overwhelming many."

Many European capitals fear that the White home may decide to rapidly limit the deployment of troops or equipment or to retreat from joint NATO tasks.

"UK and France take initiative without Americans"

Some countries do not want to engage in fear of encouraging the US to act faster, while others wonder whether, given the unpredictable nature of the current president, his administration would agree to a structured process. "You request a deal with the Americans and it is not clear if they want to make a deal," said 1 of the European officials in the British Journal. “Can you even trust them to keep it?”

When asked about the European pillar in NATO, 1 of the high-ranking Western officials pointed to the current actions within the alleged coalition of willing. "We see this right now: Britain and France take the initiative without Americans."

The fundamental defence of Europe will always require the engagement of the United Kingdom and another Atlantic maritime powers, the Nordic countries in the defence of the northern part of the continent and Turkey in the defence of the south-east," notes the Financial Times.

NATO officials say that maintaining the Alliance with little or no United States engagement would be much simpler than creating a fresh structure.