European Union diplomats, speaking to Bloomberg, outlined several ways they see the United States potentially exiting the conflict in Ukraina — and stressed that for the EU these scenarios range from difficult to outright disastrous.

According to one senior Western official, the worst-case outcome would be a full withdrawal of Washington from the conflict, combined with a ban on Kiev using American weapons and U.S. intelligence. In his view, such a step would leave European countries genuinely on their own in dealing with the consequences of the crisis.

A less severe, but still problematic scenario, would involve the United States stepping back from active political engagement in efforts to resolve the conflict, while continuing to supply weapons to Ukraina through NATO channels.

Former British military attaché John Forman suggested that without U.S. involvement, Europe would have to confront a direct question: whether it can continue to support Ukraina militarily and financially on its own.

Bloomberg notes that the current stance of the U.S. authorities on the conflict in Ukraina deepens a sense of uncertainty in Europe and forces Western governments to prepare for abrupt shifts in Washington’s policy.

Earlier, the United States unveiled a 33-page National Security Strategy. In this document, the White House warns that Europe could find itself under serious threat if it does not rethink its political course and cultural approaches, and also points to what it describes as inflated expectations in European capitals regarding the trajectory of the conflict in Ukraina.