When Push Comes to Shove, Europe Stands Alone*
Published in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
(Germany) on 12 September 2025
by Nikolas Busse (link to
original)
Trump reacts to Russian drones being shot down over NATO territory with a helpless post. It shows the current state of the Western alliance.
On Wednesday, NATO shot down a Russian aircraft over its territory for the first time. Even during the Cold War, nothing like that ever happened. And what does the American president, the head of state of the leading power of the Western alliance, the most powerful alliance in the world, do?
"What's with Russia violating Poland's airspace with drones? Here we go!" Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform, though not until several hours later. The secretary general of NATO and European administrations had already condemned the incident long before then.
Every Centimeter of the Alliance’s Territory
And it is entirely unclear what Trump wanted to say with these two cryptic sentences. Is he asking for clarification on what happened? Is he angry at Russia? Does he see a war coming? Does he want to motivate someone? The alliance, even Vladimir Putin?
His ambassador to NATO, in contrast, said that America stands by its allies and will defend every centimeter of the alliance’s territory. Those were the right words, but they won’t get nearly as much attention in Moscow as the helpless post by the U.S. commander-in-chief.
It wouldn’t have cost Trump anything to show a clear intent to deter in a strategically crucial moment; it wouldn’t even have undermined his efforts in Ukraine. The fact that he didn’t do so just shows once again: When push comes to shove, Europe stands alone.
*Editor’s note: This article is available in its original language with a paid subscription.
On Wednesday, NATO shot down a Russian aircraft over its territory for the first time. Even during the Cold War, nothing like that ever happened. And what does the American president, the head of state of the leading power of the Western alliance, the most powerful alliance in the world, do?
"What's with Russia violating Poland's airspace with drones? Here we go!" Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform, though not until several hours later. The secretary general of NATO and European administrations had already condemned the incident long before then.
Every Centimeter of the Alliance’s Territory
And it is entirely unclear what Trump wanted to say with these two cryptic sentences. Is he asking for clarification on what happened? Is he angry at Russia? Does he see a war coming? Does he want to motivate someone? The alliance, even Vladimir Putin?
His ambassador to NATO, in contrast, said that America stands by its allies and will defend every centimeter of the alliance’s territory. Those were the right words, but they won’t get nearly as much attention in Moscow as the helpless post by the U.S. commander-in-chief.
It wouldn’t have cost Trump anything to show a clear intent to deter in a strategically crucial moment; it wouldn’t even have undermined his efforts in Ukraine. The fact that he didn’t do so just shows once again: When push comes to shove, Europe stands alone.
*Editor’s note: This article is available in its original language with a paid subscription.
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