NEW YORK, February 27. /TASS/. US President Donald Trump’s aspiration to settle the Ukraine conflict and reduce his country’s obligations to its European allies is "out to undo" Europe, the New York Times (NYT) said, citing analysts.
According to them, "the Trump administration sees Europe not merely as a competitor, but also as an economic and even ideological threat." This is confirmed by Trump’s remarks that the EU was formed in order to take advantage of the US as well as by US Vice President JD Vance’s speech at the Munich Security Conference where he criticized the suppression of rights and freedoms in European countries.
"There is no question the intention is there to destroy Europe, starting with Ukraine," Nathalie Tocci, director of Italy’s Institute of International Affairs, told the newspaper.
On February 26, Trump asserted that Washington has no intention to offer any security guarantees to the Kiev regime and this must be done by Europe. The US leader emphasized that Ukraine must forget about its aspiration to join NATO. Trump also announced that he will soon introduce 25% tariffs on goods imported from the EU.
On February 13, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth asserted that "President Trump will not allow anyone to turn Uncle Sam into 'Uncle Sucker,'" stressing that the EU should be primarily responsible for defense on the European continent.