Over 50% People in Six European States Believe EU Needs NATO, US for Defense

More than half of the respondents in six European countries said that Europe needs NATO and the United States to defend itself, a poll conducted for Sputnik showed Tuesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to the survey conducted by IFop, 65 percent of the surveyed in Poland and Italy each thought the European Union needed the help of NATO and the United States, 63 percent of the Germans, 56 percent of the Spanish, 53 percent of the French and 54 percent of UK respondents shared their belief. Among US respondents, less than a half, or 48 percent, thought Europe cannot defend itself on its own.

The poll showed that the respondents in Spain, at 33 percent, showed the strongest certainty that the European Union is capable of defending itself with NATO or US help, with 31 percent in the United States, 30 percent in France and 27 percent in the United Kingdom believing the same.

The poll was carried out by IFop, a French company specializing in the analysis of the public opinion, among 7,043 people aged 18 and above on October 22-26, 2016.

During his presidential campaign, US President Donald Trump repeatedly questioned whether Washington should maintain its contribution to NATO, but in a phone conversation with French President Francois Hollande that took place on Saturday, Trump reaffirmed his commitment to the alliance, while stressing the importance of equal sharing of the expenses.