Bogdan Frolov14:42, 04.11.24

European officials do not know what the outcome of the US elections will be, but the continent is already preparing for a probable Trump victory.

It is still not 100% certain which of the US presidential candidates will win the elections on November 5. However, Europe is already preparing for the fact that if Donald Trump , representing the Republican Party, wins, then assistance to Ukraine in the war against Russia will cease almost immediately, Politico writes, citing a European diplomat.

“The aid could stop overnight,” he noted. And he emphasized that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin would want to take advantage of this. The Kremlin leader, according to him, will take Donbass, Crimea, and then “delay time until next time.”

The media outlet writes that Putin may subsequently attack one of the EU and NATO countries — Estonia, Latvia or Lithuania — to test “Trump’s already weak commitment to NATO and the military alliance’s mutual defense provisions.” It is noted that the UK is also concerned that Trump will “pull the rug out from under Volodymyr Zelensky” by cutting military aid to Ukraine or, in order to continue it, by making immediate peace talks a condition.

“A Trump victory would send a tsunami of panic through a largely rudderless [European] continent already struggling to cope with two wars on its periphery,” the article says.

Some EU leaders say Europe has emerged stronger from Trump’s first presidency. But his return to the White House could reportedly embolden Putin, exacerbate political divisions on the continent and spark a damaging trade war.

“Trump’s second term will be different. He now knows who he feels has wronged him both internationally and at home, and he and his team have developed several plans to break their knees,” said Leslie Vinjamuri, director of the US and Americas program at the British think tank Chatham House.

French Minister for European Affairs Benjamin Haddad noted that they cannot let American voters decide security issues in Europe. “We must be able to support [the Ukrainians] regardless of the outcome,” he stressed.

(C)UNIAN 2024