Publicly at least, the Trump administration is doing much less at NATO. A year ago, Hegseth warned that America’s security priorities lie elsewhere and that Europe would have to look after itself, and Ukraine in its battle against Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Starmer has made resetting UK relations with the EU a key aim as prime minister, agreeing a major new deal with the bloc in May last year.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio applied a velvet glove to the Trump administration’s still-clenched fist during his high-profile speech at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, offering some reassurance to uneasy European leaders that the US remains committed to their long-standing partnership but without backing away from its underlying demand that they change course on a number of fronts.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has offered a more reassuring message to America's allies than Europe has been accustomed to hearing, while still delivering Trump's blunt policy message.

Washington has long indicated its desire to roll back its European footprint in favor of a pivot toward the Indo-Pacific.

If necessary, we must be ready to fight, to do whatever it takes to protect our people, our values and our way of life,' argues UK premier - Anadolu Ajansı

Greater investment in defense by allies has put NATO in a position of allowing members to “march out together” in partnership amid a more limited American military posture in Europe, the Pentagon’s top strategist said Thursday.

MUNICH, Feb 13 (Reuters) - The NATO alliance will become more European-led, with a continuing strong presence of the United States, as European allies significantly increase military spending, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on Friday.

America sought a “reinvigorated alliance”, he argued, rather than abandonment of Europe. Russia was not winning the war in Ukraine, he added later, contradicting the line of Mr Vance and other Ukraine-sceptical voices in the administration.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Friday that, in light of vocal demands from Washington, European NATO partners have a duty to make greater contributions to trans-Atlantic defence.