The United States is no longer an ‘ally’ of Europe, according to a former high-ranking figure in Nato. In an interview with Times Radio, Stefanie Babst, erstwhile deputy assistant secretary general of the alliance, said President Trump has ‘switched sides’ and aligned the US with Russia, led by the ‘war criminal’ Vladimir Putin. ‘I don’t think that the Trump administration is prepared to really commit any longer to Nato, to the trans-Atlantic alliance as such,’ said Babst, ‘and he couldn’t care really less for European security.’
Babst’s remarks appear to contradict what she said in an interview exactly twelve months ago with a Washington think-tank. ‘With a few exceptions,’ said Babst, ‘most European politicians are true masters in paying lip service to strengthening Europe’s defence.’
The US remains an ally of Europe – but it’s no longer prepared to play mother
She gave a series of examples, stretching back to 1999, of European leaders promising to invest more in its defence.
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