America’s role in European security   

Thursday, November 19, 2026, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Location: The Brookings Institution, Falk Auditorium, 1775 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20036

What role does the United States under the second Trump administration now play in European security? What role should it play in resolving the Russia-Ukraine war, defending the continent and deterring Russian attacks on NATO allies, strengthening the industrial base behind Europe’s “NATO 3.0” rearmament, and shaping the continent’s political order? How might U.S. approaches evolve in the final years of the Trump administration, including through actions by the new Congress, and how could the 2028 presidential election impact U.S. policy toward Europe? How are European approaches to the United States changing in the wake of a tumultuous period and amidst political changes in key European countries? 

To assess these and related questions, on November 19, Brookings’ Center on the United States and Europe and Strobe Talbott Center on Security, Strategy, and Technology, in partnership with the Sié Chéou-Kang Center for International Security and Diplomacy at the University of Denver and the Keck Center for International and Strategic Studies at Claremont McKenna College, are convening a public discussion on European security, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and America’s role.