Washington leans on Europe, ex-US Army Europe chief tells Euronews

 

 

Retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, the former commander of US Army Europe, has warned that Washington still depends on Europe — economically, strategically and militarily — despite growing fears that the US is downgrading the continent to fourth place in its global priorities. Speaking to Euronews at the Berlin Freedom Conference, Hodges said American prosperity is directly tied to Europe’s stability, and that a Ukrainian victory is essential to stopping Russia from destabilising NATO territory and triggering a far wider conflict.

 

His comments come in the wake of last week’s controversial 28-point peace plan drafted by the US and Russia. The plan, produced without European input, rattled EU governments and fuelled uncertainty about whether the rules-based order that has underpinned Europe’s security for decades is now being replaced by transactional geopolitics.

 

Hodges was blunt: Europe matters to the US because it remains America’s largest trading partner, and instability caused by Russia’s invasion threatens both economies. If Russia is not defeated in Ukraine, he warned, Moscow could miscalculate and test NATO directly — especially if it believes the Trump administration is reluctant to act beyond issuing statements.

 

He outlined the administration’s current priorities: first the western hemisphere, second the Indo-Pacific, third the Middle East, and Europe in fourth place. As a result, he expects further reductions in US troop levels on the continent. The administration has already announced a drawdown in Romania, and Hodges believes cuts in Germany are “almost inevitable,” even though troop levels unexpectedly increased during Trump’s first term. With the US Army shrinking overall, Europe is likely to bear part of the reduction.

 

Air bases such as Ramstein could also face limited cuts, though Hodges stressed their global importance. He dismissed claims of a “kill switch” in F-35 fighters as fiction, noting that the real vulnerability lies only in software updates.

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

 

 

• Hodges says US prosperity depends on a stable Europe — and on Ukraine winning.

• He warns Europe is slipping to fourth place in US priorities, with troop cuts looming.

• Claims of an F-35 “kill switch” are false, though software control creates theoretical risks.

 

SOURCE:  euronews

 

 

Europe is the second US trade partner after USMCA (Mexico + Canada)