Trump’s NATO Hesitancy Rekindles Europe’s Strategic Autonomy Debate

According to Saed News, President Donald Trump has declined to explicitly endorse Article 5 of the NATO treaty—the bedrock principle of collective defence that treats an attack on one member as an attack on all—during remarks en route to the alliance’s summit in The Hague. “It depends on your definition,” Trump remarked cryptically when pressed by a reporter aboard Air Force One. “I am committed to saving lives. I am committed to safety. And when I get there, I’ll give you a precise definition.”

Such ambiguity is unlikely to reassure European leaders already unnerved by Trump’s transactional approach to alliances and his reluctance to offer unequivocal support to Ukraine, a sharp departure from the policies of his predecessor, Joe Biden. Trump’s recent outreach to Moscow, combined with his refusal to pledge military backing without preconditions, has led to murmurs of discontent across European capitals.

While NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte hastened to affirm America’s commitment—“There is no doubt,” he told reporters—his assurances may ring hollow for governments increasingly mindful of Washington’s shifting priorities. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz bluntly noted that Europe could no longer “ride free” on American security guarantees, echoing French President Emmanuel Macron’s earlier call for a more autonomous European defence posture.

Trump, who has long harangued NATO members over inadequate defence spending, appears to be positioning himself as both critic and custodian of the alliance. Whether this duality reflects strategic recalibration or political opportunism remains uncertain. What is clear, however, is that European leaders are recalibrating their assumptions about the permanence of American protection.