Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, whose country holds the EU’s presidency, on Tuesday urged Europe to become more self-reliant, given the possible return of Donald Trump to the White House.
“If 2024 brings us ‘America First’ again, it will be more than ever Europe on its own,” De Croo told the European Parliament.
“We should not fear that prospect. We should embrace it, by putting Europe on a more solid footing — stronger, more sovereign, more self-reliant.”
The comments came after Trump romped to a landslide victory in the first vote to secure the Republican nomination for US president, cementing him as frontrunner for a bitter rematch against incumbent Joe Biden in November.
US networks said Trump took 51 percent of the vote in the Iowa caucuses, putting him an unprecedented 30-point ahead of his nearest Republican challenger.
Europe is warily eyeing any potential return of the volatile former reality TV star as US president.
Concern is swirling that he could pull the plug on support for Ukraine or undermine the United States’ leading role in the NATO military alliance which underpins European security.
Under pressure from Trump during his first term, European Union countries already began bolstering military spending, ahead of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Since Moscow launched its offensive in Ukraine in February 2022, the 27-nation bloc has also sought to bolster its defence industry to increase the production of weaponry.
