Politico reported the information.The unthinkable is becoming reality for European leaders: preparing for a future where the United States is no longer their primary defender. President Donald Trump's continued criticism of the European Union and NATO has pushed the bloc to fast-track plans for independent security arrangements far earlier than anticipated.European nations are already testing new security frameworks that bypass traditional American leadership. The United Kingdom and France are spearheading a "coalition of the willing" on Ukraine that includes Germany, while EU policymakers explore strengthening the "European pillar" within NATO—a French-backed concept now gaining support in Berlin.Behind closed doors, the anxiety is palpable. A senior defense official from a mid-sized European country revealed that conversations with American counterparts about security guarantees have become "awkward," including discussions about Article 5, NATO's mutual defense clause. "The uncertainty" about how Washington would respond to an attack on a frontline state "is just too high," the official said.The Trump administration's recently published National Security Strategy made the shift explicit. "The days of the United States propping up the entire world order like Atlas are over," the document states. "Wealthy, sophisticated nations ... must assume primary responsibility for their regions."The strategy goes further, warning that mass migration is "transforming" Europe and "creating strife." "Should present trends continue, the continent will be unrecognizable in 20 years or less," it reads, questioning whether European countries will remain "reliable allies."In a Monday interview, Trump reinforced these views, calling Europe "decaying" and criticizing its "weak" leaders. "The people coming in have a totally different ideology," he added. "They'll be much weaker, and they'll be much different."EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius acknowledged the bloc is exploring "additional security guarantees and institutional arrangements" in case Article 5 proves unreliable. He pointed to the EU's own mutual defense clause, Article 42.7, as a potential legal foundation, though he stressed that Europe "should always count on Article 5."Germany, traditionally NATO's strongest European advocate, is undergoing a dramatic shift. Chancellor Friedrich Merz is now discussing with Paris how France's nuclear deterrent could protect Europe more broadly. He called parts of Trump's National Security Strategy "unacceptable" and said Germany must become "much more independent of the United States in security policy."Roderich Kiesewetter, a former German army general staff officer and conservative lawmaker, was blunt in his assessment, calling Trump's strategy a "slap in the face." "Anyone who writes about partners in this way won't defend them when it really counts," he wrote. "The era of the 'security guarantee' is over."The challenge now is translating urgency into action. With European military chiefs warning that a Russian attack could come as early as 2028, the continent faces enormous obstacles: massive spending increases that could topple governments, major capability gaps in areas like intelligence and heavy airlift, and the institutional difficulty of planning within NATO for a post-American future.U.S. NATO Ambassador Matthew Whitaker insisted last week that "Article 5 is ironclad," but added that Washington expects Europeans to handle "the conventional defense of the European continent" as America refocuses on the Arctic and Indo-Pacific.For many European officials, the message is unmistakable. Anthony Gardner, former U.S. ambassador to the EU, called the National Security Strategy a "betrayal of 80 years of U.S. bipartisan policy." Europe, it seems, is finally listening—and preparing for a very different future.