Pentagon Reduces Commitment to Defending Europe

Darwin, 24 January: The United States will prioritize its own security above all else and will provide only “limited” military assistance to its European allies—this is the signal sent by the Pentagon. According to Russian news outlet RT, this position has been clearly outlined in a revised National Defense Strategy released on Friday.

The Defense Department document states that European NATO members must take primary responsibility for their own defense and also lead efforts in providing military assistance to Ukraine.

The document notes: “We will remain engaged in Europe and will continue to do so. However, we must prioritize the defense of U.S. territory and deterrence against China.”

It further states: “For this reason, the United States will encourage and enable NATO allies to assume the primary responsibility for Europe’s conventional defense; U.S. support will remain important, but limited.”

Ukraine War Is Europe’s ‘Primary Responsibility’

The new strategy paper explicitly states that the responsibility for the war in Ukraine lies primarily with Europe.

“As President Trump has said, the war in Ukraine needs to end. However, he has also made it clear that the burden of this war rests first and foremost with Europe,” the document says.

This statement comes at a time when European countries have long relied heavily on the United States to support Ukraine.

The revised defense strategy also references President Donald Trump’s stance, in which he has repeatedly pressured NATO members to increase their defense spending and reduce dependence on Washington.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte recently told Fox News in an interview, “Trump forced Europe to take responsibility. We had to realize that we must ensure our own defense.”

According to Rutte, this pressure has ultimately made NATO more “resilient and sustainable.”

However, the Trump administration’s defense strategy has sparked widespread criticism across Europe. In particular, threats to integrate Greenland—an autonomous territory of Denmark—into the United States have created new tensions in transatlantic relations.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas described this stance as “a major blow to U.S.–Europe relations.”

Earlier, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance claimed that Greenland’s natural resources were the expected compensation in exchange for U.S. “protection.”