It would be “damaging to American interests,” the conservative newspaper’s editorial board wrote in an op-ed examining Trump’s attempt to end the Russia-Ukraine war, which Russian President Vladimir Putin launched in February 2022 with his invasion of the neighbouring country, and Trump’s warning that essentially boils down to European countries needing to “shape up” and take more responsibility for their own security “or the Americans are shipping out.”

The president’s “message is that the US doesn’t care what Europeans think about how the war should be resolved,” the board said, noting how America’s European allies will not have a role in the negotiations over the future of Ukraine with Russia. Saudi Arabia will host talks between top US and Russian officials on Tuesday.

Europe “is on notice that Mr. Trump may be willing to leave the Continent to its own devices,” the board concluded. It “needs to act accordingly, and an economic revival and greater investment in its own defense are essential and urgent.”