America’s withdrawal from NATO is devastating, and the alliance is examining how to manage the effects of its possible withdrawal

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Saturday that discussions are underway on how to manage or mitigate the effects of a possible withdrawal of the United States from the “European security architecture.” He did not provide any details about these discussions but said that such a withdrawal by the United States could be “devastating” for Europe if implemented in an uncoordinated manner.

US President Donald Trump had previously threatened to withdraw his country from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) after the European members of the Western military alliance refused to send ships to open the Strait of Hormuz following the outbreak of war.

Their decision exacerbated the differences within the bloc, which had already increased since Trump announced his desire to acquire Greenland.

Fidan said in a discussion session during a diplomatic forum in Antalya, southern Turkey: “We are intensively discussing how to manage the effects of the United States’ withdrawal from the European security architecture or mitigate those effects. Not completely, but partially. Even a partial withdrawal… would be very devastating for Europe if it is not implemented in a coordinated way.”

Fidan, whose country belongs to NATO but is not a member of the European Union, explained that he had long been expressing his complaint that the European Union countries in NATO “behave as if they are a separate club.”

He added that she was making her decisions on her own, even if that conflicted with the alliance’s position.

Fidan called on NATO members this week to use the NATO summit to be held in Ankara in July as an opportunity to reset relations with Trump and Washington, while preparing for the possibility of reducing US involvement.