Former Romanian President Traian Băsescu has called for the creation of a "United States of Europe" amid growing fears that Donald Trump could withdraw American forces from the continent, leaving Europe defenseless against Russian aggression.
"We can no longer face security risks separately," Băsescu told Digi24 in a telephone interview on Tuesday. "It's time to take seriously building the United States of Europe."
The former president, who led Romania from 2004 to 2014 during its EU accession and early membership years, warned that Trump's repeated threats to abandon NATO deserve serious attention. "I don't exclude the possibility that the U.S. leader might take all assets from military bases and transport them to the United States, leaving Europe defenseless," he said.
For Romania, a front-line NATO state bordering Ukraine and the Black Sea, such a scenario would be catastrophic. The country has spent the past two decades building its security architecture around the NATO alliance and the American security guarantee, hosting a rotating U.S. military presence and participating in alliance missions from Afghanistan to the Baltic states.
Băsescu characterized the United States as becoming "an unpredictable partner" under Trump, who he said has consistently "discredited Europe while appearing deferential to Putin." The former president noted that Trump has shown a pattern of disregarding laws and norms that underpin the transatlantic alliance.
If Washington were to withdraw from NATO, Băsescu said it would mean "the end of this organization." He proposed constructing "another organization with democratic countries operating under law" - effectively a European-only defense alliance that would replace the transatlantic framework that has guaranteed continental security since 1949.
The federalist vision Băsescu articulated reflects growing anxiety across Eastern Europe that the region may soon need to provide its own deterrence against Russia without American backing. For countries like Romania, Poland, and the Baltic states - all of which lived under Soviet domination during the Cold War - the prospect of facing Moscow without Washington represents an existential security crisis.
Băsescu's call for a "United States of Europe" is not new - he has advocated European federalism for over a decade. But the concept, long dismissed as politically unrealistic, is gaining traction as Trump's second administration raises fundamental questions about whether Europe can continue to rely on the American security umbrella.
The timing is particularly significant for Romania, which occupies a critical position on NATO's eastern flank. The country has invested heavily in defense modernization, increased military spending, and positioned itself as a reliable ally. A U.S. withdrawal would force Bucharest to fundamentally recalibrate its security posture, likely accelerating efforts toward European strategic autonomy that have proceeded slowly for years.
In Romania, as across Eastern Europe, the transition is not over - it's ongoing. The post-Cold War assumption that the transatlantic alliance would permanently guarantee security is now being tested. Whether Europe can build the political will and military capacity to defend itself remains the continent's most pressing question.
