European leaders hold meeting to assess how Trump will affect their fortunes

Around 50 European leaders held a meeting on Thursday (Nov 7) to assess how United States (US) president-elect Donald Trump would affect their fortunes and also sought a common stance on Russia.

A report by the news agency Associated Press early Friday (Nov 8) said that the European Political Community summit in Hungary's capital city of Budapestreassessed trans-Atlantic relations in the hope that Trump’s second USpresidency will avoid the strife of his first administration.

'He was elected by Americans, he will defend American interests'

During the summit, French President Emmanuel Macron said thatTrump was elected by the American people, adding, the Republican leader would defend American interests.

“The question is whether we are willing to defend the European interest. It is the only question. It is our priority,” Macron added.

Time and again, leaders stepped up to say European defence efforts should be increased.

Following Thursday's meeting, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said, "There was agreement that Europe should take more responsibility for securing peace and safety. To put this more bluntly, we cannot wait for the Americans to protect us."

During his first presidency from 2017-2021, Donald Trump pushed European NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) allies to spend more on defence and be less reliant on American military cover.

“He was the one in NATO who stimulated us to move over the 2 per cent. And now, also thanks to him, NATO, if you take out the numbers of the US, is above the 2 per cent,” NATO chief Mark Rutte said.

European Council president Charles Michel pointed out that Europe needed to become less reliant on the US.

What did Trump say about Europe during his campaign?

During his election campaign, Trump said a lot of things about Europe- ranging from a trade war with the continent to a withdrawal from NATO commitments and a fundamental shift of support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.

The Associated Press reported that these above issues could have groundbreaking consequences for European nations.

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Trump claimed multiple times that he could end the war in Ukraine in a single day if he became US president. Kyiv and many of its European backers fear that this meantpeace on terms favourable to Russian President Vladimir Putin and involving the surrender of territory.

European allies in NATO hope to convince Trump that if he helps to negotiate any peace, it should be done from a position of strength, for both Ukraine and the US.