A new survey indicates that trust in the United States as a security partner has fallen sharply across Europe: 11% of respondents in European 15 countries currently describing America as an ally.
The survey, carried out in May across Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, found that only 11% of respondents considered the US an ally that shares European interests and values.
That figure has fallen from 16% six months ago and from 22% in late 2024.
This represents an unprecedented low.
Most Europeans has expressed doubt that Washington would come to their defence if their country were attacked.
The poll was conducted by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) ahead of upcoming G7 and NATO meetings.
The caveat is that many Europeans expect relations with Washington to improve after Donald Trump leaves office, given his foreign policy positions: including threats regarding Greenland, criticism of NATO, suggestions of troop withdrawals from Europe, and his confrontational approach in the Middle East.
However, there is increasing support for strengthening Europe’s ability to defend itself independently.
Jana Kobzová, a senior policy fellow at ECFR and one of the report’s authors, has pointed out that Europeans are more willing to increase defence spending and generally trust neighbouring European countries more than they trust America when it comes to assistance during a crisis.
Nearly half of those surveyed supported the idea of joint EU borrowing to finance military investments, while just over a third opposed it. The strongest backing for common borrowing was recorded in Portugal, Denmark, the Netherlands and Spain. Italy, a clear exception, stood out as the only country where a clear majority remained opposed to allocating more resources to defence.
Interestingly, the view was homogenous regardless of whether the country in question was under left or right wing governance.
Meanwhile, 13% of Europeans surveyed described America as a rival, while 12% viewed it as an outright adversary.
A strong preference for purchasing European-made military equipment rather than relying on American suppliers was particularly pronounced in Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, Portugal and France.
Despite declining trust in Washington, there was little support for replacing NATO with a purely European military alliance.
Regarding energy policy, Europeans remained cautious about restoring imports of Russian oil and gas despite higher energy prices. 44% said resuming such purchases would be either a bad or very bad idea.
Opinion on Ukraine’s possible membership in the European Union remained divided. In several countries—including Hungary, Bulgaria, Austria, Germany and even Estonia, which has been among Ukraine’s strongest supporters—more respondents opposed Ukrainian accession under current circumstances than supported it.
