NATO diplomats have called on European states to prepare for the United States to leave the alliance if Donald Trump wins the presidential election, The Telegraph reports.
A diplomat from the European bloc said Trump's remarks, particularly his threat not to protect NATO states from Russia unless they meet financial obligations to the alliance, were troubling. According to him, the countries of the bloc need to “get busy planning” for a scenario in which the US commitment to the alliance weakens.
At the same time, the publication’s interlocutor noted that the number of countries that have achieved NATO’s defense spending target of 2% of GDP has increased significantly, so members of the bloc can tell Trump that he “gets what he wanted.”
A diplomat from another NATO country says Trump's remarks indicated that "we are so overly dependent on the US." In his opinion, a discussion of how to “insure” against the risk of Washington leaving the alliance is necessary. In particular, countries like the UK need to provide greater leadership on European security because "if the US leaves there will be a huge gap."
Another diplomat believes that uncertainty over the US role will force European countries to "think more in our own capitals about defense planning – is it adequate or not?"