Survey shows record low European trust in US as ally

On military procurement, most respondents favored reducing reliance on U.S. hardware in favor of European alternatives.

A new survey has revealed a sharp decline in European confidence in the United States as a security partner, with only 11 percent of respondents across 15 countries viewing Washington as an ally. The figure marks a historic low, down from 16 percent six months ago and 22 percent in late 2024, according to the European Council on Foreign Relations.

The findings, released ahead of the G7 and NATO summits, underscore growing doubts about U.S. reliability in Europe’s defense. Majorities in all countries surveyed said they did not believe the U.S. would come to their aid in the event of an attack.

The poll also showed rising support for increased national defense spending, with Europeans four percentage points more likely than last year to back higher budgets. Italy was the only country where a majority remained opposed. Nearly half of respondents supported collective EU borrowing to fund defense initiatives, with strongest backing in Portugal, Denmark, and the Netherlands.

On military procurement, most respondents favored reducing reliance on U.S. hardware in favor of European alternatives. Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden showed the highest support for “buying European,” while Poland stood out as the only country where a majority favored more U.S. weapons purchases. Germany, Italy, and Hungary were divided on the issue.

Resistance to cutting domestic public spending to fund defense remained strong in Italy, Austria, and Germany. On energy, 44 percent of Europeans opposed resuming oil and gas imports from Russia despite rising costs.

Support for Ukraine as an ally or strategic partner remained high, though consensus weakened on sending peacekeeping troops or expanding EU membership eastward.

The survey also found that majorities in every country except Bulgaria believed U.S.–European relations would improve once President Donald Trump left office.

Conducted in May 2026 by pollsters including Mandate Research and YouGov, the survey sampled adults across Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK.