For decades America’s strength has come from more than military or economic power. Our alliances have been our greatest strategic advantage.
In a few weeks Donald Trump has given Vladimir Putin a gift no Russian general could deliver: the undermining of those alliances.
He’s insulted Canada and Denmark. Countries that have stood with us through war and peace. He’s claimed the European Union has treated America “very badly.” That’s not true.
Our European allies have led the response to Putin’s war in Ukraine. The EU has implemented over a dozen rounds of sanctions on Russia at real economic cost. Despite Putin weaponizing energy they haven’t wavered. They’ve provided more military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine than we have.
I saw this as U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic. Every bipartisan congressional delegation that visited Prague thanked the Czechs for their support of Ukraine. EU nations have taken tough stands on China and confronted Beijing on human rights and its backing of Russia. These aren’t adversaries. They’re partners.
Yet Trump treats them like punching bags. He pushes away allies who share our values and security priorities.
Our allies are starting to question whether the United States is still reliable.
We need these alliances. To confront Russian aggression. Fight terrorism. Secure supply chains. Respond to crises. NATO grew bigger and stronger under Biden. Trump is unraveling that.
When I served as ambassador I woke up every day focused on strengthening alliances because they made America safer. That’s still true.