Allies Reconsider Dependence on US Weapons Due to Trump’s Policy – ​​Rezazade

The First Vice President of the Iranian Opposition in Washington, Ali Reza Rezazadeh, indicated that amid changes in US foreign policy under the presidency of Donald Trump, European countries have begun to reconsider their dependence on American weapons systems.

After decades of close cooperation, many countries are aware of the vulnerability of such a model and are seeking to develop their own defense industry.

Trump has recently been actively negotiating rapprochement with Russia, threatening NATO allies and suspending cooperation with Ukraine. This has caused a wave of concern among US partners, from Canada to Europe. Countries have begun to review defense spending in order to reduce purchases of American equipment.

In particular, the recent suspension of intelligence sharing with Ukraine, as well as Trump’s absurd statements about the possible annexation of Canada and Greenland, have forced many to rethink the reliability of the US as a partner. While the “kill switch” for American aircraft and weapons systems is considered an exaggeration, experts say modern systems are so dependent on American components, software updates and data transfers that cutting off access could render them unusable.

About two-thirds of Europe’s arms imports come from the United States. But several European governments are already conducting internal reviews to assess how vulnerable their defenses would be if Trump decided to cut off support.

Canada and Portugal, for example, are reviewing plans to buy F-35 fighter jets from Lockheed Martin. The European Union, in turn, is restricting U.S. access to new defense funding programs as it seeks hundreds of billions of euros to build its own military capabilities. Canadian officials have also confirmed talks with the EU about expanding joint weapons production.

Even with the strength of the American defense sector, European countries admit that they will have to buy ready-made equipment from the United States for some time while they continue to build their own capabilities. But the unpredictability of the Trump administration has already become a powerful signal: it is time to invest in their arsenals.

Trump’s recent statement that the new Boeing F-47 fighter jet will be sold to allies in a simplified version was indicative: “Because, perhaps, one day they will no longer be our allies.”

This is not the first time that the United States has stopped military support for its partners. In 1979, after the Islamic Revolution in Iran, the Carter administration refused to provide maintenance for American aircraft that remained in the Iranian Air Force.