American troops pack more punch than European ones, and fighting Russia without the U.S. would require adding more than 300,000, think tank says

(Credit: Andrei Pungovschi—Bloomberg/Getty Images)

• President Donald Trump’s efforts to improve relations with Russia and reach a deal to end Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine have prompted European allies to contemplate the unthinkable: the end of a decades-long U.S. security commitment. A think tank estimated the financial and personnel costs for what it would take to defend Europe without the U.S.

As Europe considers a future without a U.S. security guarantee, the potential costs of defending itself without its longtime ally are coming into focus.