Wait and see is Europe’s best tactic with Trump as war rhetoric ramps up

European members of NATO are worried the U.S. is ending its guarantee of nuclear retaliation against a Russian attack. They are right to be concerned but it is too early to base policy on these fears.

It’s unlikely the United States ends up in a de facto alliance with Russia, but it’s possible, given U.S. President Donald Trump’s bizarre but undeniably very close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, writes Gwynne Dyer. Photograph courtesy of the White House/Shealah Craighead

Opinion

BY GWYNNE DYER

June 9, 2025

LONDON, U.K.—“There is a clear, present risk, particularly as Russian President Vladimir Putin does see himself as being at war with the West. The homeland is again (in peril) … Air and missile attacks will potentially cause civilian casualties (in the United Kingdom) ...

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