Just one in every 10 Europeans now sees the U.S. as an ally, according to a major new poll conducted by the European Council on Foreign Relations across 15 European countries.
In what the think tank described as a “collapse in European faith in the U.S.,” only 11% of the nearly 20,000 European respondents now consider America an ally, down from 16% six months ago and 22% in November 2024.
Half of those polled view the U.S. as a “necessary partner,” while 25% see America as a rival or an adversary. The percentage of respondents who view the U.S. as a rival or an adversary grew in several countries, especially Denmark, France, Spain and Switzerland.
The authors of a policy brief sharing the results of the poll cited recent actions by President Trump as likely influencing respondents, including his threats to leave NATO and annex Greenland, striking Iran without including European nations in the planning, and planning the withdrawal of some U.S. troops in Europe.
Majorities in every country polled said they were not confident the U.S. would come to their nation’s aid if they came under attack.
And most said their governments should buy more weapons from European countries and develop an alternative national nuclear deterrent that doesn’t depend on the U.S.
“Across the continent, there’s clear support for reducing dependence on Washington,” Jana Kobzová, a co-author of the policy brief and ECFR senior policy fellow, told The Guardian.
The polling did suggest that Europeans believe their relationship with the U.S. will “probably get better” after Mr. Trump leaves office, however.
The ECFR spoke to 19,481 respondents for the survey, which was conducted in May 2026 in Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the U.K.
The U.S. embassy in London did not respond to a request for comment on the survey.
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