Only 11% of Europeans consider the United States an ally, a historic low, according to Survey by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) Released on Wednesday.
Six months ago, 16% of people in Europe’s 15 countries said they saw the US as an ally, while in November 2024, when Donald Trump won the US presidential election, the figure was 22%.
The ECFR survey shows that Europeans “embrace self-reliance and have clear views of Donald Trump”, although they do not expect relations to completely collapse due to the current challenges.
Most respondents said they did not think the United States would come to Europe’s defense if it were attacked.
The survey was released ahead of the Group of 7 (G7) and NATO summits in the coming weeks.
The survey findings show that Europe’s trust in the United States – historically the continent’s staunchest supporter and partner in defense and security – has declined in recent years, especially since Donald Trump returned to the White House.
Majorities of respondents in every country surveyed – except Bulgaria – said they believed transatlantic relations would improve after Trump leaves office.
Why are Europeans less trusting of the US as a partner?
Since the beginning of his second term, Trump has imposed tariffs on European countries, expressed insufficient support for the US-Israeli war with Iran, and threatened to withdraw from NATO due to insufficient spending on defense.
Trump has also stressed that he wants to take control of Greenland, which is part of NATO and EU member Denmark.
The US said last month it would begin withdrawing troops stationed in Germany, amid a dispute between Trump and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who said the US was being “humiliated” by Iran.
At the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, which came at the height of Trump’s threats over Greenland, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the break in relations with the US demonstrated “the need to build a new form of European independence”.
What did the survey say about Ukraine?
The US president has also repeatedly blamed Ukraine for Russia’s invasion and sought closer ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The survey found that most Europeans support Ukraine, but are currently cautious about it joining the EU and deploying troops to fight in a defense war against Russia.
On energy, most respondents acknowledged the continent is facing an energy crisis, but “strongly oppose Russian fossil-fuel imports,” the survey said.
What else did the survey find?
- Compared to last year, Europeans were 4% more likely to favor increasing defense spending
- Nearly half (47%) of survey respondents said they would support collective European borrowing to finance defense projects
- Respondents support reducing Europe’s dependence on US weapons in favor of European military hardware.
The survey, conducted in May 2026, surveyed adults in Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.
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Edited by: Shawn Sinico