Europe Starts Planning for Its Own Defense Amid Trump’s New Strategy

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Europe has begun taking concrete steps to prepare for its own defense without relying on Washington, according to a detailed report published by Politico, amid mounting concern over President Donald Trump’s new security posture and the diminishing U.S. engagement in European affairs. The shift comes as several military assessments warn of a potential Russian attack on the continent by 2028, prompting the European Union to explore alternative security arrangements.

Politico reported that EU countries have already started testing a Europe-led security model, anticipating a reduced American role within NATO. Sensitive decisions concerning the war in Ukraine are increasingly being made within a “coalition of the willing” led by France and the United Kingdom, signaling a gradual decentralization of traditional NATO decision-making.

European alarm intensified after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio skipped a recent NATO foreign ministers’ meeting, followed by sharp criticism from Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau, who accused European states of prioritizing their own defense industries over purchasing American weapons.

Trump’s newly released National Security Strategy, published last week, further accelerated Europe’s pivot. The document declares that “the era of the United States supporting the world order has ended,” insisting that wealthy governments must shoulder their own defense burdens.

In an interview with Politico published Tuesday, Trump criticized European governments as “weak” and “failing,” attributing this to immigration policies. He claimed Russia currently holds the advantage in the Ukraine war and argued it was time for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to “start accepting the realities” of the battlefield:

“He has to take the initiative and start accepting things… you know, when you’re losing,” Trump said.

The comments followed the administration’s national security strategy, which faulted European governments for supporting Ukraine and blamed officials with “unrealistic expectations of the war” for blocking a peace settlement. The strategy noted that while a “large European majority desires peace,” governments were undermining democratic processes needed to achieve it.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized Washington’s new strategy on Tuesday, saying during a press conference:
“Some of it is understandable, but other parts are unacceptable for us from a European perspective.”
He added that European states do not need help from the United States to “save democracy” on the continent.

The Trump administration’s framing of Europe as an obstacle to stability with Russia was welcomed in Moscow.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov praised the new U.S. strategic concept, saying it “aligns with our vision” and lauded its “precision.”

Kirill Dmitriev, CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and a key intermediary in recent Washington-Moscow contacts, amplified Trump’s criticisms via posts on X, celebrating warnings that Europe “must be very careful” and is moving in “dangerous directions.”

Trump’s remarks were also linked to the EU’s recent decision to fine X $140 million for violating European digital-content rules. Elon Musk responded by calling for the dissolution of the European Union, a move that Russian officials echoed widely.

Politico noted the irony: while Russian authorities restrict access to platforms like Facebook and X, Moscow-linked figures such as Dmitriev continue using them freely to spread English-language messaging supportive of the Kremlin.

Analysts say the Russian strategy is clear—undermine European support for Ukraine while sowing doubt about NATO’s reliability. Trump’s new doctrine provides Moscow with fresh tools in an ongoing information campaign aimed at shifting public opinion in both the U.S. and Europe.

European leaders are also confronting a surge in direct Russian messaging.
Zelensky conducted a rapid diplomatic tour this week—visiting London, Paris, and Berlin and meeting with NATO and EU officials in Brussels—seeking to reinforce European backing for Ukraine even as U.S. commitment becomes uncertain.

Meanwhile, Russian hardline political strategist Sergey Karaganov declared on state television that Russia is “at war with Europe, not with miserable and misled Ukraine.” He added:

“This war will not end until we crush Europe morally and politically.”

Though Karaganov does not speak for the Kremlin officially, Politico notes his rhetoric often mirrors themes voiced by President Vladimir Putin.

On the eve of his meeting with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Moscow last week, Putin himself delivered an ominous message:
Russia is “ready now” for war with Europe if necessary, although he insisted Moscow does not plan to initiate conflict.

“We do not plan to wage war with Europe… I have said this a hundred times. But if Europe suddenly wants a war with us and starts it, we are ready,” Putin said Tuesday.

According to Politico, this messaging is clearly designed to deepen European anxiety and weaken the transatlantic alliance that has anchored European security for decades.

The Politico report highlights a rapidly changing geopolitical environment in which European governments—faced with strategic uncertainty in Washington and rising hostility from Moscow—are beginning to design a security architecture not dependent on the United States.

Whether Europe’s early steps toward strategic autonomy will reshape NATO, alter the course of the Ukraine conflict, or strengthen the EU’s internal cohesion remains uncertain. But as warnings of a potential Russian attack by 2028 intensify, European defense planning has entered a new and unprecedented phase.