50 European leaders assess how Trump will affect their fortunes and seek a common stance on Russia

By RAF CASERT and JUSTIN SPIKE

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Around 50 European leaders connected Thursday called for a stronger defence posture crossed the continent that nary longer necessitates a cardinal dependence connected Washington arsenic they gave a guarded invited to incoming U.S. President Donald Trump.

The European Political Community acme connected Thursday successful Hungary’s superior Budapest reassessed trans-Atlantic relations successful the anticipation that Donald Trump’s 2nd U.S. presidency volition debar the strife of his archetypal administration.

“He was elected by the American people. He volition support the American interests,” French President Emmanuel Macron told the different leaders, adding that it was not the relation of European Union leaders to “comment connected the predetermination … to wonderment if it is bully oregon not.”

“The question is whether we are consenting to support the European interest. It is the lone question. It is our priority,” Macron said.

Time and again, leaders stepped up to accidental European defence efforts should beryllium increased.

During his archetypal 2017-2021 presidency, Trump powerfully pushed the European NATO allies to walk much connected defense, up to and beyond 2% of gross home product, and to beryllium little reliant connected U.S. subject cover. That constituent has wholly sunk in.

“He was the 1 successful NATO who stimulated america to determination implicit the 2%. And now, besides acknowledgment to him, NATO, if you instrumentality retired the numbers of the U.S., is supra the 2%,” NATO main Mark Rutte said.

Charles Michel, the assembly president of the 27-nation EU, agreed that the continent needed to go little reliant connected the United States.

“We person to beryllium much masters of our destiny,” helium said. “Not due to the fact that of Donald Trump oregon Kamala Harris, but due to the fact that of our children.”

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said it was “time to aftermath up from our geopolitical naivete and to recognize that we request to perpetrate further resources successful bid to beryllium capable to code large challenges. It is simply a (question of) competitiveness and a European defense.”

During his predetermination campaign, Trump threatened thing from a commercialized warfare with Europe to a withdrawal from NATO commitments and a cardinal displacement of enactment for Ukraine successful its warfare with Russia — each issues that could person groundbreaking consequences for nations crossed Europe.

“Of people helium said a batch of things during the campaign,” said Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, adding they won’t each beryllium appearing successful his authoritative policies. “Transatlantic practice is of the utmost value some for the U.S. and European interests.”

For now, European leaders anticipation a caller opening holds the committedness of smoother relations.

Rutte, who was Dutch premier curate during Trump’s archetypal presidency, said, “I worked with him precise good for 4 years. He is highly wide astir what helium wants. He understands that you person to woody with each different to travel to associated positions. And I deliberation we tin bash that.”

And Rutte insisted that the challenges posed by Russia successful Ukraine affected some sides of the Atlantic.

“Russia is delivering the latest exertion into North Korea successful instrumentality for North Korean assistance with the warfare against Ukraine. And this is simply a menace not lone to the European portion of NATO, but besides to the U.S. mainland,” helium said arsenic helium arrived astatine the summit.

During the campaign, Trump said if helium were reelected, helium would end the warfare successful Ukraine, present good into its 3rd year, successful a azygous day. Ukraine and galore of its European backers fearfulness that this means a bid connected presumption favorable to Russian President Vladimir Putin and involving the surrender of territory.

European allies successful NATO anticipation to person Trump that if helium helps to negociate immoderate peace, it should beryllium done from a presumption of strength, for some Ukraine and the U.S.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who spoke to Trump past nighttime by phone, told reporters successful Budapest that Europe and the U.S. request each different to stay strong.

“It was a good, productive conversation. Of course, we cannot yet cognize what his circumstantial actions volition be. But we anticipation that America volition go stronger. This is the benignant of America Europe needs. And a beardown Europe is what America needs. This is the enslaved betwixt allies that should beryllium valued and indispensable not beryllium lost,” helium said.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, the summit’s big and an ardent Trump fan, said aboriginal Thursday that helium already had a telephone telephone with the incoming president overnight, announcing, “We person large plans for the future!”

So did hard-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who lauded the “deep and historical strategical concern that has ever tied Rome and Washington.”

That concern came nether changeless unit during Trump’s archetypal term. Trump’s medication slapped tariffs connected EU alloy and aluminum successful 2018, based connected the assertion that overseas products, adjacent if produced by American allies, were a menace to U.S. nationalist security. Europeans and different allies retaliated with duties connected U.S.-made motorcycles, bourbon, peanut food and jeans, among different items.

Further compounding an already analyzable concern successful Europe, Germany — the continent’s troubled economical juggernaut — sank into governmental crisis aft German Chancellor Olaf Scholz fired his concern minister, causing his governing conjugation to collapse. Scholz, who remained successful Berlin alternatively of joining the acme successful Budapest, volition present pb a number government.

The turmoil raises the specter of an predetermination successful a fewer months and yet different standoff betwixt the emboldened hard close and the constitution parties successful Europe.

Those 2 combined “adds adjacent much capsicum and brackish to this situation,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.

Lorne Cook contributed to this study from Brussels.