US shift away from Europe ‘didn’t really start with President Trump,’ says EU’s top diplomat – Europe live | World news
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There ‘should be discussion’ on European nuclear deterrence, Norwegian PM says
Norway’s Støre also appeared to back calls for a broader debate on European nuclear deterrence to provide a Europe-based independent alternative – but still insisted it should be rooted in Nato.
He said:
“I think there will be a discussion among Europeans and should be a discussion about the nuclear deterrent. But it has to be European and inside the logic of Nato.
Obviously, we have a Nato strategy, which is very clear that the nuclear is a prime deterrent, but it is not Nordic; it is Nato’s and European.”
EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas added that the move away from non-proliferation with more countries discussing the idea of having own nuclear weapon has its roots in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“It started with, Russia’s war because then a lot of countries saw that, actually, threatening with the nuclear weapon works, you get to walk away with what you want.”
She continued:
“All those countries who have appetite for the neighbours territories are like, OK, we should have a nuclear weapon because then we get what we want.
And all those countries who are afraid of their neighbours think that this is the only thing that works, so we should have a nuclear weapon.
And I think in terms of the world order, this is a very dangerous development.”
Støre also said more needs to be done to deepen European Nato’s partnerships and integration between different countries.
“When we buy our frigates from the United Kingdom, it is more than the purchase. This is about integration of our naval defence in crisis. Basically, [we] will be very, very closely working together. So we buy our submarines from Germany and our tanks from Germany. It is also a deep industrial integration in security terms with Germany,” he said.
But he insisted that – despite some calls for a separate European defence organisation – this should take place within the already existing Nato structures, benefiting from the alliance’s command structures and experience.
Trump’s Nato comments are ‘plain wrong’ as collective security is ‘not charity, but made of self-interest,’ Norwegian PM says
Norway’s Støre also spoke about the need to strengthen the European security by investing with other European partners – and the changing nature of Europe’s alliance with the US.
In a pointed rebuke to Trump’s recent criticism of Nato saying:
“When I met President Trump [for the] first time I … looked him in the eyes and said: it’s important for a Norwegian prime minister to look a US president in the eyes and say: 100 km from my border is the world’s largest nuclear arsenal and it is not directed against me, but against you.
It makes a difference that we monitor those submarines. We know when they leave port, we know when they test their new weapon systems and we share it with you and we collaborate … on monitoring that.
And that is why I just have to say it rings completely false when the American president stands in Davos saying that we have given everything to Nato and Nato gives nothing in return. It is wrong. It’s plain wrong.
I think big part of the US knows that because it matters every day, every hour. The collective security is not a charity. It is made out of self-interest.”
Morning opening: Our own Groundhog Day
Jakub Krupa
After 378 days, January is finally over, and so welcome to the new year month of February.
It’s a Groundhog Day in the US. Although, let’s be honest, you would be forgiven for feeling like you have been living your own personal time loop since 20 January last year lately.
The movie-famous groundhog will make an appearance at some point this afternoon to reveal if we should expect a long winter, or an early spring. As doom and gloom dominates the headlines, we’re all rooting for a bit of sun, Phil. Don’t let us down.
But over in Europe, we still have lots of more important topics to cover – even though, indeed, so many of them have been making the headlines for a long time now.
Norway’s prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre and EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas are speaking at the Oslo Security Conference this morning, warning about the end of the world as we know it, and how Europe needs to adapt to the new realities, not just with aggressive Russia, but also a rapidly changing nature of Europe’s alliance with the US.
Kallas in particular warned that the US shift away from Europe is a “long term” process that the bloc needs to urgently adapt to.
“Actually, if we look at the transatlantic policy, or we look at what, what the US administration … the decisions that they have taken. it didn’t really start with President Trump. I think there’s a lot of convergence with the policies of different administrations. So … it might be so easy to think that one personality comes, there are elections, then another one, but I think it’s a long term that we really need to look at.”
She said that back in October, over 40% of Americans considered Europeans their closest allies, a view shared by only 14% of Europeans, adding that we have since “seen a lot happening, so I think it might be even lower.” (Think: tariffs, Greenland, Nato.)
Sounds familiar? Yeah, it’s definitely Groundhog Day today.
They have no definitive answers on how to resolve it – although both hinted at ‘more Europe’ as part of the solution – but the task is getting increasingly urgent. Let’s see what they can come up with. More lines to come from this event, no doubt.
Separately, I will also keep an eye on Ukraine with the latest there, as the wartorn country – already struggling with energy and heat production amid continuing Russian strikes – face extreme cold, with temperatures falling below 20 Celsius.
The broader central and eastern European region is also affected. It’s -20 Celsius in Vilnius, -18 Celsius in Warsaw, -12 in Riga, and -9 in Berlin.
Spring cannot come early enough.
It’s Monday, 2 February 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
