Europe’s leaders ponder reassurances from Pence
— Vice President Mike Pence was the latest in a trio of high-ranking Trump emissaries to tell European allies in person that the United States will steadfastly support NATO and demand that Russia honor its commitments to end fighting in Ukraine.
Some European leaders, however, remain skeptical of whether Mr. Pence — who on Sunday paid a somber visit to the site of the Dachau concentration camp, a day before meeting in Brussels with officials from the European Union and NATO — and the U.S. secretaries of state and defense actually speak for President Donald Trump. And they worry those declarations might easily be swept away at the whim of the mercurial American president.
“We are waiting for actions,” said Polish President Andrzej Duda. “We only know what the media has reported and the statements that we’ve got.”
Asked about Mr. Trump’s commitment to NATO, German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said, “Since I haven’t spoken to him, I can only say what I discussed with Mr. Pence — I did that and there are no doubts there.”
European countries along Russia’s border have been rattled by the prospect of deeper U.S.-Russia ties after Mr. Trump bucked the opinions of several world leaders by suggesting that sanctions could be eased in exchange for a nuclear arms deal.
Before his inauguration, Mr. Trump referred to NATO as “obsolete.” He has since tempered his language and stressed the importance of NATO.
Mr. Pence, on his first overseas trip as vice president, tried to allay some fears in Munich on Saturday, reaffirming the U.S. commitment to NATO and promising that the U.S. would “hold Russia accountable.”
Elsewhere in Europe, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said Sunday that Mr. Trump should be denied a state visit to Britain due to his “cruel” immigration policies. The mayor’s comments came a day before lawmakers were due to debate a petition signed by 1.8 million people that calls for Mr. Trump’s Britain trip to be downgraded from a state visit.
Also, Swedes on Sunday were scratching their heads and ridiculing Mr. Trump’s remarks that suggested a major incident had happened in the Scandinavian country. The American president now says he was referring to something he saw on television.