America’s closest allies are backing away in alarm, convinced the United States can no longer be trusted. Under Donald Trump, governments that once relied on Washington are ripping out U.S. technology, rethinking defence ties, and quietly preparing for a future without American leadership. The shock is seismic, and the fallout is spreading fast.

The fear driving it all is blunt. Trump is doing what no foreign enemy ever managed, persuading allies that the U.S. itself is the risk. Analysts say it is the long-held dream of Vladimir Putin, now unfolding in real time.

France fired the starting gun. Paris announced it will remove American videoconferencing platforms from government offices nationwide. That means Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Webex are out, replaced by a French-built system called Visio for roughly 2.5 million public employees.

The reason is stark. French officials concluded U.S. technology is now a national security risk, citing the closeness between Trump and Silicon Valley billionaires. Trust, once assumed, has collapsed.

Germany followed swiftly. The state of Schleswig-Holstein moved 44,000 employees off Microsoft systems, ditched SharePoint, and adopted open-source tools including Linux and Nextcloud. Officials are even weighing whether to abandon Windows entirely.

Denmark, Switzerland and Austria are exploring similar moves. Across Europe, governments are racing to cut reliance on American tech before it can be “weaponized.” That phrase came from EU tech sovereignty chief Henna Virkkunen, who warned U.S. dependence could be turned against Europe.

One moment crystallized the fear. After the Trump administration sanctioned the International Criminal Court prosecutor over an arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Microsoft reportedly cut the prosecutor’s email. European officials saw it as proof a corporate “kill switch” exists.

Defence is now in doubt too. Canada is reconsidering its purchase of U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets, a potential economic and strategic blow. Allies are unwilling to let essential defence systems hinge on Trump’s moods.

Then came the bombshell. NATO stripped the United States of command of all three operational-level Joint Force Commands for the first time in its history. Britain, Italy, Germany and Poland will now lead them.

While the Supreme Allied Commander Europe remains American for now, officials say it is symbolic. European leadership of NATO operations is no longer theoretical. It is happening.

European leaders insist this is not anti-Americanism. It is risk management. Trump’s praise for Putin, contempt for democracy and threats toward NATO allies have changed calculations.

When Trump suggested he might “encourage” Russia to attack allies he claimed were not “paying up,” outrage followed. European Council President Charles Michel called the comments reckless and said they served only Putin’s interests.

U.S. Senator Adam Schiff echoed the fury, saying Trump seemed more interested in pleasing Putin than protecting allies. NATO’s secretary general was forced to publicly restate that Article 5 remains ironclad.

Even private companies are a worry. Officials have flagged concerns about Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite network and the dangers of relying on systems controlled by Trump allies. The fear is simple: what happens if Washington flips a switch?

Security analysts now talk openly of “low trust” and “ruptures.” EU studies cite Trump’s hostility toward the European project, his claim the EU exists to “screw” the U.S., and his refusal to rule out force over Greenland.

Public opinion is shifting too. Surveys show European trust in the U.S. plunging, tourism falling, and nearly three-quarters of Europeans now viewing America as an unreliable partner. Only about one in ten say they trust Trump’s America to defend them.

Canada has also soured. Polls show a majority now see the U.S. as a negative global force, driven by Trump’s erratic behavior and self-enrichment. The damage, analysts warn, may outlast his presidency.

For Europe, the response is clear. Build independent tech. Build independent defence. Hedge against a partner that has gone rogue.

For America, the cost is immense. The alliance system that kept peace since World War II is fraying, and rivals are watching closely. Trump promised to make America great again, but allies are learning how to live without it.

Key Takeaways

• European allies are ditching U.S. tech and defence reliance amid deep mistrust.

• NATO and EU leaders openly warn Trump’s rhetoric benefits Russia.

• Polls show public trust in America collapsing across Europe and Canada.

Alarming steps by US allies show who Trump really serves | Opinion

When the EU and NATO are gonna stop purchasing weapons from the US?

Trump's USA has no allies, apart from billionaire friend allies.

Trump is a Russian traitor.

10 hours ago, CallumWK said:

When the EU and NATO are gonna stop purchasing weapons from the US?

When they can find better weapons ?

20 minutes ago, blaze master said:

When they can find better weapons ?

China?

https://interestingengineering.com/space/china-microwave-weapon-fry-satellites

I didn't link original article from SCMP as it's behind paywall, but this should do. It's on the same topic.

UK?

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/boost-for-armed-forces-as-new-laser-weapon-takes-down-high-speed-drones

British have also built a laser-based long range weapon which works similarly - blowing things up from a distance at negligible costs, however Chinese microwave gun can damage/destroy anything with electronics in them from much further away.

EU has its own military industry as well... Sweden, France, Italy, Germany,... just needs to scale up production, remove and replace any parts that rely on uncontrolled technology, and pick that instead.

US weapons are not "better" when they can be remotely turned off without notice. You can see how that looks like in a baby example: https://www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/news/porsche-russia-car-satellite-disabled-b2881823.html

Now imagine your plane "stops working" in flight or your weapons get disabled just as you're about to use them... That's certainly NOT a "better" weapon, as being dependable and reliable are the core requirements for the military.

14 minutes ago, tomazbodner said:

China?

https://interestingengineering.com/space/china-microwave-weapon-fry-satellites

I didn't link original article from SCMP as it's behind paywall, but this should do. It's on the same topic.

UK?

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/boost-for-armed-forces-as-new-laser-weapon-takes-down-high-speed-drones

British have also built a laser-based long range weapon which works similarly - blowing things up from a distance at negligible costs, however Chinese microwave gun can damage/destroy anything with electronics in them from much further away.

EU has its own military industry as well... Sweden, France, Italy, Germany,... just needs to scale up production, remove and replace any parts that rely on uncontrolled technology, and pick that instead.

US weapons are not "better" when they can be remotely turned off without notice. You can see how that looks like in a baby example: https://www.independent.co.uk/bulletin/news/porsche-russia-car-satellite-disabled-b2881823.html

Now imagine your plane "stops working" in flight or your weapons get disabled just as you're about to use them... That's certainly NOT a "better" weapon, as being dependable and reliable are the core requirements for the military.

Thats cute. The usa has weapons and tech you have never even heard of. Its good to dream though love your enthusiasm.

Nothing to do with Trump, as any allies (except Israel) that trust the USA, haven't learned much from history.

57 minutes ago, KhunLA said:

Nothing to do with Trump, as any allies (except Israel) that trust the USA, haven't learned much from history.

Of course this is directly related to trump.

1 minute ago, stevenl said:

Of course this is directly related to trump.

Only to the anti Trumpers, who don't know the history of the USA screwing anyone & everyone.

Trump is just telling people upfront, that alliances with most, simply aren't in the best interest of the USA, so they are being reevaluated, and y'all should do the same, as you'll be affected moving forward.

Don't think it has anything to do with trust, but warning 'allies', preparedness, for whatever in the future, is now your issue, deal with it.

Gosh. Maybe Trump isn't so dumb and he wants our so called allies to be able to contribute to their own defense in case SHTF, even if that means scaring them a little. Or even a lot.

America Is NATO: Retired British Officer Warns Diminished U.K. Military 'Would Be Out of Ammo in Days' in Potential War

Retired British Army Col. Richard Kemp, who commanded U.K. forces in Afghanistan in the early 2000s, is warning about the current sad state of his country’s military.

In a Wednesday piece for The Telegraph, he wrote that the British military has an alarmingly low level of ammunition on hand.

“Knowledgeable observers have suggested that our munitions stocks — from rifle bullets and artillery shells to long range missiles and drones — would see out only about a week of intensive fighting,” Kemp recounted.

Kemp went on to explain, “When America needs more bombs and bullets it surges production… to create a great leap forward. In Britain, and the rest of Europe, we don’t do that, we just clump along with some minor fiddling at the edges, always evolutionary, never revolutionary.”

Reported in the Telegraph linked in the article. I found it on WJ:

https://www.westernjournal.com/america-nato-retired-british-officer-warns-diminished-u-k-military-ammo-days-potential-war/

If your best ally is going to run out of ammo after a week of fighting, are they really an ally? Or a hanger-on?

13 hours ago, blaze master said:

Thats cute. The usa has weapons and tech you have never even heard of. Its good to dream though love your enthusiasm.

Discombobulator? Gotta say, never heard that one before!

3 minutes ago, tomazbodner said:

Discombobulator? Gotta say, never heard that one before!

Well you learned something today. Stay positive.

14 hours ago, blaze master said:

When they can find better weapons ?

On 2/13/2026 at 9:56 PM, CallumWK said:

When the EU and NATO are gonna stop purchasing weapons from the US?

They started almost a year ago

The EU wants to break its security dependency on the US and buy more European weapons | AP News

Europe has the weapons, but still needs America to wage war – POLITICO

Just now, FritsSikkink said:

They started almost a year ago

The EU wants to break its security dependency on the US and buy more European weapons | AP News

Europe has the weapons, but still needs America to wage war – POLITICO

So the EU and NATO don't buy any weapons from the US anymore ?

Europe is irrelevant. It's time for Europe to fend for itself.

39 minutes ago, TedG said:

Europe is irrelevant. It's time for Europe to fend for itself.

745 million people would beg to differ.

2 hours ago, blaze master said:

So the EU and NATO don't buy any weapons from the US anymore ?

Its complicated. For the hardware, not as much as you might think. And a lot of hardware is US IP, but not US made. The critical element is communications and analysis. The RAF operates RC-145W surveillance aircraft, but the data is processed by the US before being passed to the UK. When the US shut off intel to Ukraine, the UK was still willing to help, but the data it could supply had been degraded by Washington.

Its not entirely 1 way supply. The next generation of replacements for the Los Angeles class subs are having their missile tubes (among other things) made in Scotland, at Rosyth.

Washington has a lot of assets in Europe. These aren't there to protect Europe. RAF Menwith Hill is one of the largest signals intelligence (SIGINT) bases operated byn the NSA, and is an integral components of ECHELON. Without it, ECHELON doesn't exist.

This is why Rubio was sent to Europe. Vance pisses people off. Rubio is more diplomatic, and is clearly worried when European and British politicians start talking about taking a fresh look at base agreements. Its a ludicrous situation we have gotten into, largely because of Corporal Vance, ex Marine Corps photographer, sticking his awl in. There is worry in the DoD, or whatever it wants to call itself, that 80 years of cooperation is in danger of being undone, through the actions of an ex-photographer and a news pundit.

14 hours ago, impulse said:

Gosh. Maybe Trump isn't so dumb and he wants our so called allies to be able to contribute to their own defense in case SHTF, even if that means scaring them a little. Or even a lot.

America Is NATO: Retired British Officer Warns Diminished U.K. Military 'Would Be Out of Ammo in Days' in Potential War

Retired British Army Col. Richard Kemp, who commanded U.K. forces in Afghanistan in the early 2000s, is warning about the current sad state of his country’s military.

In a Wednesday piece for The Telegraph, he wrote that the British military has an alarmingly low level of ammunition on hand.

“Knowledgeable observers have suggested that our munitions stocks — from rifle bullets and artillery shells to long range missiles and drones — would see out only about a week of intensive fighting,” Kemp recounted.

Kemp went on to explain, “When America needs more bombs and bullets it surges production… to create a great leap forward. In Britain, and the rest of Europe, we don’t do that, we just clump along with some minor fiddling at the edges, always evolutionary, never revolutionary.”

Reported in the Telegraph linked in the article. I found it on WJ:

https://www.westernjournal.com/america-nato-retired-british-officer-warns-diminished-u-k-military-ammo-days-potential-war/

If your best ally is going to run out of ammo after a week of fighting, are they really an ally? Or a hanger-on?

The US wouldn't be that far behind. Estimates are that the US could only sustain a war with China 3 weeks, tops, before running out of critical weapons. Some weapons stocks would be exhausted in 1 week.

https://www.csis.org/analysis/empty-bins-wartime-environment-challenge-us-defense-industrial-base

Its actually not new. During the height of the Cold War, the BAOR (British Army on the Rhine) wargamed to last 3 weeks. After 3 weeks fighting in West Germany, the British Army would effectively cease to exist as a fighting force. Thats a grim measure of the kinetic nature of proper, total war. The other armies wouldn't be much better, before things went hot. The BAOR's role was going to be to let the Soviet forces over run them, in their dash for the Dutch coast, with pockets of Brits in the rear intercepting fuel supplies. The planning was fighting wouldn't stop the Russians, lack of petrol would. The Russian planning was based around capturing fuel supplies, rather than establishing a fuel train from the East.

Over the last 30 years, the West has been lulled into thinking it was fighting proper wars, in Iraq, in Afghanistan. Ukraine is a wakeup showing how much damage Europeans could do to each other. The fighting has been ferocious at times, the expenditure of munitions enormous. Gaddafi, Assad, Hussein, the Israelis, have nothing on what European nations can do to each other. Americans forget, Europe has had 2000 years of warfare. All those borders in Europe; not that settled. Americans would have to go back to the Alamo to recall a war they fought on their territory over borders. Europe is indeed a sleeping giant; both from a good perspective (we need to do more), but also from a terrifying perspective on a global persective (so much potential). America should be warned, you don't want to be an enemy of Europe.

The war in Ukraine started off with European military instructors drilling the Ukrainian Army on how to fight a modern war. Its ending with Ukraine literally writing the book on drone warfare. They're teaching the Europeans, now selling drone weapon systems to Europe. They're not working so much with the Americans. Why should they? America hasn't made any investment.

15 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Only to the anti Trumpers, who don't know the history of the USA screwing anyone & everyone.

Trump is just telling people upfront, that alliances with most, simply aren't in the best interest of the USA, so they are being reevaluated, and y'all should do the same, as you'll be

So US forces are now packing upaffected moving forward.

Don't think it has anything to do with trust, but warning 'allies', preparedness, for whatever in the future, is now your issue, deal with it.

So US forces are now packing up in Europe, and new barracks being built in the US? You no longer need the Chagos then?

May I gently suggest that anyone who commands their own investments dumps, at minimum, US large caps, definitely S&P500 and Nasdaq and instead invests in a EuroStoxx600 ETF (which includes the UK). I began the shift away Q3 last year.

Europe's grown some balls, at last. Good. AI will definitely benefit old-school businesses and industrials, there's plenty of that in Europe and it needs taking into the 21st century.

1 hour ago, roger buttmore said:

May I gently suggest that anyone who commands their own investments dumps, at minimum, US large caps, definitely S&P500 and Nasdaq and instead invests in a EuroStoxx600 ETF (which includes the UK). I began the shift away Q3 last year.

Europe's grown some balls, at last. Good. AI will definitely benefit old-school businesses and industrials, there's plenty of that in Europe and it needs taking into the 21st century.

Is this financial advice ?

Meanwhile, the Draghi report is still sitting in a drawer....

https://commission.europa.eu/topics/competitiveness/draghi-report_en

9 hours ago, blaze master said:

Is this financial advice ?

No. It's the opposite of blind stupidity.

On 2/14/2026 at 11:36 PM, blaze master said:

So the EU and NATO don't buy any weapons from the US anymore ?

Where did I say that?

On 2/14/2026 at 10:46 AM, KhunLA said:

Only to the anti Trumpers, who don't know the history of the USA screwing anyone & everyone.

Trump is just telling people upfront, that alliances with most, simply aren't in the best interest of the USA, so they are being reevaluated, and y'all should do the same, as you'll be affected moving forward.

Don't think it has anything to do with trust, but warning 'allies', preparedness, for whatever in the future, is now your issue, deal with it.

Counter factual nonsense.

The U.S. groveling to try to win back allies and trade after Trump is gone is going to be wonderful.

On 2/14/2026 at 12:24 PM, Chutney said:

745 million people would beg to differ.

Maybe the 745 million people could learn how to defended themselves against the 146 million people in Russia without the help of the USA.