Europe won't be kept safe by the 'special relationship'

Sir Keir Starmer's visit to the White House appears to have gone as well as could have been expected.

- MARION MESSMER

Donald Trump welcomed the prime minister warmly and they talked up the chances of a trade deal to avoid any tariffs on the UK. The tone was certainly much friendlier than at the recent Munich Security Conference, at which JD Vance harshly criticised the UK and other European allies.

However, on the central question of international security, Starmer did not get what he wanted – warm handshakes aside, there was no promise of a US security backstop for Ukraine.

European leaders have been shocked by the US pivot towards Russia. Europe is rapidly facing the prospect of losing US military and economic support for the first time in 70 years with an increasingly aggressive Russia happily watching on. This will demand not only a major shift in strategy and spending but also in psychology: how the continent sees itself, its allies and adversaries.

Trump’s US government has placed far more importance on resetting its relationship with Russia than working with European partners. In between the White House visits of French president Emmanuel Macron and Starmer, US and Russian delegations met in Turkey to negotiate a resumption of more normal diplomatic relations between the two. This does not bode well for Ukraine’s peace negotiations and European security concerns.

European leaders have no choice but to react. While Starmer continues to invest in the relationship with the United States, hoping to provide a bridge between the US and Europe, Macron and the likely next German chancellor Friedrich Merz are beginning to work on a plan B for European security.