Der Spiegel: Europe must be able to defend itself
Der Spiegel wrote that European security policy is still "clinging to Donald Trump" out of fear the United States could abandon NATO altogether. "Europe cannot imagine a secure future without the US. That is a mistake", the magazine wrote, adding that "Trump's America is no longer a friend".
The publication warned that persistent friction between Trump and European leaders could tempt Vladimir Putin to test NATO's mutual-defense guarantees — and not in 2029, as some intelligence assessments suggest, but potentially now. Putin, it argued, would need only lure Trump with some kind of "deal" for Washington to step back, leaving Europeans to defend themselves.
Still, Der Spiegel argued the continent is less defenseless than it believes, noting that France and Britain possess nuclear weapons and that Ukraine's military is likely more battle-tested and inventive than any other in Europe. Binding Kyiv more closely to the rest of the continent, it said, would itself function as a security guarantee.
The magazine dismissed efforts to keep Trump in a good mood as a waste of energy, and rejected the idea, held by some officials, that NATO merely needs to outlast Trump's final term. Even a post-Trump America, it argued, is unlikely to re-engage on European peace and freedom the way it once did, leaving that task to Europeans themselves.
Süddeutsche Zeitung: keeping Trump happy "to save the West"
Süddeutsche Zeitung took a similar view, writing that NATO members now count it a success merely when Trump doesn't "blow everything up" at a given summit — which it said was precisely the goal in Ankara: keeping the U.S. president in good spirits in order to "save the West once again". Fear of Trump, the paper said, was evident from the summit's very start.
The Munich-based daily turned much of its attention to NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, noting that some European officials view his deferential handling of Trump as embarrassing, even humiliating, describing it as a blend of "shameless flattery" layered with more of the same. Yet the paper acknowledged that anyone dealing with Trump must brace for "an endless, exhausting and at times humiliating test of strength".
It rejected the notion that a lasting agreement with Trump is achievable, arguing the president never settles for one deal — each accord is merely the opening of another round of disputes, haggling and shaky compromise. Trump, the paper said, fundamentally regards Europeans as freeloaders, and disloyal ones at that, adding that European concessions on tariffs and rising defense spending have done nothing to head off disputes over Greenland and Iran.
"Trump has damaged NATO so seriously with his doubts, scoldings and profanities that no one can be sure the US would defend Europeans against a Russian attack", the paper wrote, calling for the creation of "a strong and independent continent".
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: "A child? A teenager? An angry old man?"
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung offered a more personal take on Trump's conduct in Ankara, asking rhetorically whether the U.S. president resembles "a child? A teenager in a hormonal storm? An angry old man?"
The paper said Trump's remarks rarely reflect strategic thinking, and instead hinge on "who he likes and who he doesn't — which can shift as quickly as in a kindergarten". It said Trump continually undermines NATO's deterrent power, an alliance he dislikes, casting doubt through both word and deed on American support in a serious crisis, and at times threatening allies outright, as with his revived dispute over Greenland.
The paper noted this was not offset by reportedly more conciliatory remarks Trump made behind closed doors in Ankara. "Europeans must now consider how to ensure that Ukraine, with its combat-tested army, stands at their side in the event of a crisis", the paper wrote, "because Europe cannot rely on the 'unwavering' support of Trump's America".
(jh)
Source: PAP