Last time Donald Trump sat in the White House, he pulled the US out of a host of UN agencies and international agreements – including the Paris agreement and the Iran nuclear deal – even threatening to withdraw from NATO. But back then there were still career civil servants on his staff who acted as the “adults in the room” and a war was not being waged on European soil. Ahead of his possible return, Europe is rushing to “Trump-proof” itself.
Trump has vowed to pursue certain aims if he once again becomes president of the United States, and his proposals, however outlandish, are generating concern abroad. He has vowed to end the war in Ukraine “in 24 hours” by negotiating with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, ask Europe to foot the bill for billions of dollars in US aid to Ukraine, pull out of the Paris climate deal (again), and impose steep tariffs on foreign imports – up to 200 percent in some cases.
The other European headache is NATO.
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