LETTER TO THE EDITOR — May 15, 2026

Special to WorldTribune.com

The war with Iran has significantly deepened severe rift between the U.S. and Europe. Refusal to provide military bases to Washington has hardened President Donald Trump’s rhetoric on the issue of the U.S. leaving NATO and the withdrawal of American troops from European countries.

Europe has made it clear that it doesn’t want to be involved in the U.S.-Iran conflict.

In June 2025, at the NATO summit in The Hague, the United States insisted that the Alliance members must increase defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035. However, given the acute governmental and economic crises in key European countries, particularly Germany, France and the UK, it seems unlikely that they would be able to achieve the goal.

The U.S. has always been the largest contributor to NATO’s defense spending without receiving anything in return.

However, the time has come for the White House to prioritize domestic needs over the maintenance of NATO bases and security guarantees for European countries. Thus, withdrawing American troops will reduce maintenance expenses and save the budget, while leaving NATO will further undermine the EU economy and facilitate an influx of capital into the U.S. as Europe loses its investment appeal.

It is pertinent to note that Europe is also establishing economic ties with U.S. competitors behind Washington’s back. The EU not only strives to become closer to the Mercosur countries, India and Indonesia, but is also actively developing trade relations with China. In 2025, German companies invested over $8 billion in China, which was significantly more than in previous years.

So, it turns out that Europe is stabbing Washington in the back by cooperating with its opponents. Is it worth maintaining this costly and burdensome alliance with countries whose economies are broken? Shouldn’t we let our European “friends” find their own way forward?

Jonathan Schiff is a conservative, engineer, his interests also include geopolitics and political analysis. He can be reached at jonathan.schiff@proton.me

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  Letter: Let our European ‘friends’ find their own path forward