Europeans increasingly prefer to rely on their own defense capabilities rather than the US, but serious doubts remain about whether the continent is capable of doing so, according to a new Public First survey shared with "Politico".
The poll, conducted in June in 24 EU countries among 23,970 adults, found that 40% of respondents thought it was acceptable for their country to rely on Europe for military assistance, while only 14% would accept help from countries outside Europe, including the United States.
"Europeans feel less secure and believe the US is less reliable. Whether this means a willingness to deal with some of the tough trade-offs that a more autonomous European defense will entail - especially the need for greater investment that is not necessarily focused on companies in their own country - remains an open question," said Anand Menon, director at Public First.
Public opinion remains divided about Europe's ability to defend itself: 41% believe the EU is ready, while 43% think otherwise. There is even greater skepticism about national armies, with 58% saying their own country is not ready to defend itself, compared to 27% who think otherwise.
The survey comes amid political tensions over the US role in NATO, including doubts about the Article 5 guarantee, threats to annex Greenland, reductions in US military assets in the Alliance and the withdrawal of troops from Germany. At the same time, there are concerns that Russia could attack a European country by the end of the decade.
The White House has been urging European countries to increase defense spending and shoulder more of the burden, a topic expected to be discussed at a NATO summit in Ankara next week. However, Europe continues to rely on American weapons systems, intelligence, space capabilities and aerial refueling.
Forty-six percent of respondents support the idea that European countries should produce defense equipment domestically, even at higher costs.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte earlier said that anyone who believes that Europe can defend itself without the United States is "dreaming".
The biggest doubts are in countries close to Russia, including the Baltic states, Romania and Bulgaria. At the same time, their governments remain strong supporters of NATO and want a US military presence in Europe.
Finland is the only exception, with 76% of respondents there confident in the country’s ability to defend itself. In 18 countries, majorities believe it is acceptable to rely on Europe, but only in Finland, France, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania and Greece do the views prevail that countries should be able to defend themselves.
The European Union is stepping up its efforts at defense coordination, including through joint purchases and financing to overcome industrial fragmentation, but the idea of a common European army remains a distant prospect.
The EU’s SAFE program, with a budget of 150 billion euros for loans for weapons projects, limits the participation of countries outside the bloc, which has caused discontent in the United States.