European officials extend hand to Trump and allies as second term becomes more likely

With the Washington, D.C. , NATO summit in full swing, European officials have acknowledged the for-now likely possibility of former President Donald Trump winning the presidency and have indicated they are willing to work with the former president.

It comes as President Joe Biden faces calls from his own party to step down and has hemorrhaged support in the polls following the first presidential debate. Some European leaders have declined to criticize Trump in recent days and have tailored their messaging to be inclusive of him. Others are actively seeking out his advisers and other Republicans.

Here are a few of those instances.

Zelensky remarks to Republicans during NATO summit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed Republicans at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute on Tuesday, saying, "Everyone is waiting for November" in his speech.

He chose not to criticize Trump, who responded favorably to a proposed plan to halt U.S. military aid to Ukraine unless it negotiates peace with Russia. Some Republicans have also been very hesitant to provide more money to Ukraine while the country deals with migrants at the southern border.

“Biden and Trump are very different, but they are supportive [of] democracy, and that’s why I think Putin will hate both of them,” he said. “But I think both of them need to understand it — not to count on his attitude.”

He warned against the United States leaving NATO, something Trump has floated, and also said he hoped Trump would continue current U.S. policy toward Ukraine. He stated that he had good meetings with Trump when he was president, “but we didn’t [go] through the war with him.”

European officials meet with top Trump foreign policy adviser

One of Trump's top foreign policy advisers, Keith Kellogg, met with "several high-ranking European officials" during the NATO summit this week. It is not known who met with Kellogg or what was discussed, but some involved include European foreign ministers.

Kellogg posted a photo of himself on X talking to Speaker of Ukrainian Parliament Ruslan Stefanchuk in what he described as a "great informal discussion" before this week's NATO summit began.

Three other former Trump foreign policy officials told Reuters they had been approached by European delegations about meeting during the NATO summit, though those meetings did not take place, mainly for logistical reasons.

North Macedonian Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski met with Richard Grenell, a former acting director of National Intelligence under Trump, according to a picture Mickoski posted on Facebook on Monday.

Three Eastern European defense ministers use golf analogies to address NATO

At a panel in Washington hosted by Politico and the German newspaper Welt this week, three Eastern European defense ministers from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania refrained from offering criticism of Trump, rather making similar NATO arguments to the former president, who once said countries should pay their fair share. They also framed their arguments in golf terms, something that would be familiar for Trump who has made public his love of the sport.

“NATO is a club. When you have club rules, then you respect the rules, and you expect that everyone will also respect them,” Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur said. “When you pay your fee in the golf club, you can play. It doesn’t matter how big is your wallet.”

“This is my understanding also,” he added.

They also pushed NATO's importance while advocating increased NATO spending across the board.

The “United States is indispensable for us,” Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds said. “At the same time, I would say, it’s vice versa. We believe also that NATO is indispensable for the United States.”

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Pevkur said the war in Ukraine is an existential fight in support of liberal democracies and the ability to have democratic transitions of government and that he isn't concerned about the possibility of Trump's reelection.

“We should not be afraid of elections,” Pevkur said.