Blinken Pays a Visit to NATO Amid High Anxiety Over Trump

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken visited NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday at what he called a “critical moment” for Ukraine and the U.S.-led military alliance, as Europe braces for the anticipated upheaval of a new Trump era in Washington.

In a trip organized only after last week’s presidential election results made clear that U.S. policy will likely swing dramatically away from President Biden’s lock step support for NATO and Ukraine, Mr. Blinken met with alliance and European officials to help plan for a post-Biden future.

Donald J. Trump’s return to the White House in January has deeply shaken Europe’s mainstream political leaders, thanks to his skepticism about the value of NATO, the cost of defending Ukraine, and the wisdom of isolating Russia and its president, Vladimir V. Putin.

Once in office, Mr. Trump could move quickly to change U.S. policy on all three fronts — a shift that European leaders fear might leave their countries both less secure from Russian aggression and at an economic disadvantage.

Mr. Blinken did not explicitly mention Mr. Trump or last week’s election in his public remarks after meetings at NATO headquarters. But an American leadership change with huge global import was the obvious subtext, as Mr. Blinken stressed the intrinsic value of the alliance.

Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, addressed the elephant in the room before sitting down with Mr. Blinken at a Brussels hotel. He said that their meeting offered “an opportunity to coordinate steps” after the U.S. election, noting that Ukraine’s government was speaking “both with the president-elect and his team and also with the outgoing administration.”

His country, Mr. Sybiha added, “has always cherished strong bipartisan support” in Washington.

But that support now appears in grave doubt, at least among members of Mr. Trump’s incoming administration and their allies in the Republican Party. The president-elect has questioned the tens of billions of dollars in aid that the Biden administration has given Kyiv over the past three years, and his choice for vice president, JD Vance, has said he doesn’t “care what happens to Ukraine one way or the other.” Biden officials warn that Ukraine’s European allies would only be able to cover a fraction of any shortfall from Washington.

Mr. Blinken said that he had come to NATO’s headquarters to ensure that the alliance could provide Kyiv with “the money, the munitions and the mobilized forces to fight effectively in 2025.”

But there is little more that the United States can do to fund or supply Ukraine during Mr. Biden’s remaining weeks in office. Mr. Blinken appeared to acknowledge that in saying that a chief goal was to ensure the quick delivery of aid already approved by Congress.

“President Biden is committed to making sure that every dollar we have at our disposal will be pushed out the door between now and January 20,” he said from the entrance of the huge steel and glass NATO headquarters complex.

Mr. Blinken added that Kyiv must also “be able to negotiate a peace from a position of strength,” if necessary — perhaps offering a hint of what he thinks might be in store for Ukraine under the Trump administration.

Biden officials have long downplayed the prospect of near-term peace negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow, given that Russian forces still occupy about one-fifth of Ukraine’s territory. But Ukraine may soon have little choice: A sharp reduction in military support from Washington might force Kyiv to the bargaining table, with a weak hand. Mr. Trump has vowed to broker a swift end to the conflict, without specifying settlement terms.

Asked whether the Biden administration might respond to Ukrainian pleas to lift restrictions on using American-provided long-range missiles to strike inside Russia, Mr. Blinken did not answer directly. The NATO alliance “will continue to adapt and adjust” to Ukraine’s battlefield needs, he said.

But Mr. Blinken warned of worrying events there, saying the introduction of North Korean troops to fight alongside Russia was “a profound and incredibly dangerous development” that would “get a firm response from the alliance.”

NATO’s own suddenly uncertain future was also a focus of Mr. Blinken’s discussions.

In his remarks to reporters after the meetings, Mr. Blinken sounded an implicit warning seemingly informed by Mr. Trump’s previous threats to withdraw from the alliance. The president-elect has also seemingly brushed off Article V of the NATO charter, which commits members to defend one another from foreign aggression, saying earlier this year that he would encourage Russia to “do whatever the hell they want” to any member nation that fails to meet the alliance’s benchmark for military spending.

In words that seemed almost tailored for Mr. Trump’s ears, Mr. Blinken said that NATO “could not be more vital than it is now.”

The alliance’s principle that “an attack on one is an attack on all,” Mr. Blinken said, was “the strongest possible deterrent to war.”

“It’s the best way to ensure our security,” he added. “And that’s why it’s so vital that we continue to invest in this extraordinary alliance and continue to lead in this extraordinary alliance.”