Only 11% of Europeans Now See US as Ally, Poll Finds

Only 1 in 10 Europeans now consider the US an ally, while majorities across Europe doubt that Washington would come to their defense in the event of an attack, according to a new survey.

A poll conducted by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and first reported by The Guardian found that just 11% of respondents across 15 European countries view the US as an ally – down from 16% six months ago and 22% in November 2024.

The findings point to what researchers describe as a “deep European distrust” in the US among European publics ahead of upcoming G7 and NATO summits.

The survey suggests that confidence in the US security umbrella has fallen to a new low, as Europeans grow increasingly concerned about Washington’s reliability under US President Donald Trump.

Majorities in every country surveyed said they no longer trust the US to come to their defense in the event of an attack.

Trump’s threats to withdraw US troops from Europe, criticism of NATO, rhetoric regarding Greenland, and foreign policy decisions in the Middle East were cited as key factors in the report.

“Across the continent, there’s clear support for reducing dependence on Washington,” ECFR senior policy fellow Jana Kobzová said.

Stronger European defense

The survey found Europeans are increasingly willing to strengthen their own defense capabilities rather than rely on Washington.

On average, respondents were 4% more likely to support higher national defense spending than a year ago. Nearly half of those surveyed – 47% – supported joint EU borrowing to finance increased defense spending, while 35% opposed the idea.

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Support was strongest in Denmark, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain.

“Europeans are increasingly open to higher defense spending and, crucially, show a striking degree of confidence that neighboring countries would come to their aid in a crisis,” Kobzová added.

The poll also found broad backing for reducing dependence on US military equipment. Support for a “buy European” approach exceeded 60% in most countries surveyed and reached 75% in Denmark.

Relations to improve after Trump

Despite growing skepticism toward current US policies, most Europeans said they expect transatlantic relations to improve after Trump leaves office.

More than 60% of respondents in countries including Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden said US-European relations would likely improve in the future.

The survey found limited support for replacing NATO with an EU-only defense structure, with just 29% backing such a move.

At the same time, public opinion remained divided on several key issues, including Ukraine’s potential membership in the EU.

Respondents in Austria, Bulgaria, Estonia, Germany, and Hungary were more likely to oppose Ukraine’s accession rather than support it, according to the poll.

The survey was conducted in May across Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK.