In northern Europe, leaders are trying to put on a good face in the face of Donald Trump's victory. One after the other, they congratulated the Republican candidate on Wednesday, November 6, early in the morning. But behind the polite messages there is concern about seeing the United States disengage in Ukraine and within NATO, putting the security of the region at risk, on the front line against Russia.
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On X, the Lithuanian president, Gitanas Nauseda (independent), recalls that the United States is “a key strategic ally” of his country and that “transatlantic unity is crucial”. He also takes care to specify that Lithuania “currently allocates 3.5% of its gross domestic product [PIB] to defense and will continue to increase [ses] investments ». The day before, he believed that Europe could not « count solely on the United States for its security”but that she had to ” develop [ses] own muscles ».
Same story in Riga, where the Latvian Prime Minister, Evika Silina (center right), affirms that her country's priority is to “continue to strengthen transatlantic ties”. She also wishes to emphasize that “Latvia devotes more than 3% [de son PIB] in his defense ». The head of the Estonian government, Kristen Michal (liberal), for her part, urges the next president of the United States to “strengthen the transatlantic relationship and [à] don't let the aggressors win ».
The dangers of disengagement in Ukraine
In Finland, the head of government, the conservative Petteri Orpo, also believes that “Europe must play a more important role” et “No [doit] not count as much on the support of the United States ». On the Yle television channel, he warned of the risks of a peace agreement imposed on the Ukrainians: “History has taught us that if the big ones agree over their heads [des autres]this is not in the interest of a small nation or an independent nation, and we hope that this will be clearly taken into account when a peace agreement is finally reached. »
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At a press conference in Stockholm, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (conservative), who assured that his country had prepared for all scenarios, spoke of support for Ukraine and the dangers of a disengagement of the United States. “There is no other subject with such existential value for our part of the world”he insisted, believing that Europe must do more and work to “its sovereignty”. He was also concerned about the risks of “increased protectionism” from Washington, which could be devastating for the Swedish economy, which is extremely dependent on exports.
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