The transatlantic alliance faces growing differences because the US and Europe are diverging in their perceptions of, and approaches to, national security threats.
While both sides acknowledge the rise of great power competition, their assessments of specific threats and corresponding national priorities are drifting apart.
Since the 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, defending against Russia has become Europe’s dominant security objective, viewing it as an existential threat to its security architecture.
This trend is not merely cyclical, as suggested by the potential return of the Trump administration but reflects longer-term structural shifts in global security.
This divergence is sharpest concerning Russia: Europe views it as an existential threat to its security architecture, yet the second Trump administration has deprioritised Russia as a top-tier threat and pursued bilateral engagement.
This requires Europe to assume greater security responsibility and significantly increase defence investment, allowing the US to maintain engagement in a less dominant role while focusing on its strategic priorities.
