NATO on the Edge: Is the US Ready to Walk Away?
NATO's Secretary General Mark Rutte delivers a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute in Washington D.C., U.S., April 9, 2026. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Despite President Donald Trump’s tough rhetoric toward NATO allies, a legal US withdrawal from the organization remains unlikely due to congressional resistance.
This opinion was expressed on the air of “Pryamy” by the former president of the Ukrainian World Congress, Yevhen Cholij.
He is convinced that the American leader’s emotional statements are creating dangerous turbulence in the global security architecture. “I doubt that will happen. The situation required not only a presidential decision but also a congressional one. And I doubt that such a decision will pass,” Czoliy noted.
At the same time, amid Washington’s disappointment with the lack of support in operations against Iran, European leaders, in particular German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, emphasize the bloc’s lack of an alternative for the continent’s security.
According to the studio guest, although the actual collapse of the Alliance is not expected, constant criticism from the White House significantly weakens NATO’s unity, which in turn creates the illusion of the West’s vulnerability, which Russia actively uses to strengthen its own positions.
The honorary consul noted that although most European countries are assisting with logistics and troop deployments, the public discontent on the American side only fuels the Kremlin’s aggressive intentions, which see this as a chance to win the war.
As a reminder, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that after the end of the war in Iran, the US would review its membership in the North Atlantic Alliance. Later, it became known that President Donald Trump plans to discuss the United States’ withdrawal from the alliance with the NATO secretary general.
Meanwhile, Russian propaganda has intensified its disinformation campaign aimed at discrediting Ukraine and creating the impression of a crisis in NATO. According to analysts at the Center for Strategic Communications, there have been about 400 publications that present Ukraine as a destabilizing factor and promote narratives of a “split” in the EU and NATO.