German Greens co-chair warns Europe must develop self-defense capabilities as Trump threatens NATO unity with demands over Greenland.
Europe Needs “Plan B” for NATO
German Green Party co-chair Franziska Brantner told Handelsblatt that Europe needs a “Plan B” for NATO in light of the conflict with US President Donald Trump over Greenland. She emphasized that Europe has a duty to maintain unity and must become capable of self-defense.
Brantner clarified that this is not about weakening or questioning NATO, which remains a central alliance including Canada, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. However, she noted that Trump sees things differently and wants to create divisions in transatlantic relations.
She suggested developing “new military capabilities” and “independent decision-making structures” in Europe, pointing to the “coalition of the willing” for Ukraine support as a potential starting point. This coalition could include Poland, France, Italy, and the Baltic states.
Trump’s “Heaviest Shock” to NATO
According to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) columnist Nikolas Busse, NATO is experiencing a deep crisis that is the “heaviest shock” in its nearly 77-year history. Busse described Trump’s attempts on Greenland as unprecedented in an alliance of free and sovereign nations.
Busse pointed out that Trump’s national security strategy suggests managing European-Russian relations, indicating that Trump wants to do business with Putin. He questioned what protection the alliance can still provide Europe if Americans no longer want to contain aggressive Russia and even imitate it.
Europe’s Vulnerability Exposed
FAZ journalist identified “Europe’s weakness” as the second problem. The old continent is vulnerable to pressure from both Russia and America because it has been deprived of its two most important means of power: economic and military strength.
NATO can repel an attack from the outside but not from within, Busse concluded. Europeans will have to become more independent, and much faster and more thoroughly than they thought just recently. They underestimated that those who derive security from others risk not having it provided.
