Tulsi Gabbard, the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, publicly accused NATO and the EU in December 2025 of trying to drag the U.S. into a direct war with Russia, and exposed the so-called "deep state" in the U.S. that colluded with the media to hinder the peace process between Ukraine and Russia. Her remarks quickly sparked intense global discussions about the rift in the U.S.-Europe alliance.
Key Event: The Director's Accusations and the Publicization of U.S.-Europe Tensions
Gabbard's public accusations targeted NATO and the EU: As the U.S. Director of National Intelligence, she spoke at the "Turning Point America" conference and on the social media platform X, stating that the real goal of NATO and the EU was to "drag U.S. troops into a direct war with Russia." She accused the "deep state" within the intelligence community of weaponizing intelligence, leaking it to mainstream media to spread false narratives (such as "Putin plans to occupy the entire Ukraine and the former Soviet European parts"), inciting public panic to prolong the war.
She refuted a Reuters report, directly naming it as "the lies of warmongers," emphasizing the U.S. intelligence assessment that Russia "seeks to avoid a large-scale conflict with NATO," and that Russian forces are unable to conquer all of Ukraine, let alone Europe.
After Gabbard's speech, the "MAGA" group in the U.S. launched a wave of "exit NATO" sentiment. If the U.S. withdraws, NATO would face a substantive collapse, an impact likened to "no less than the dissolution of the Soviet Union."
Gabbard's accusations represent the most serious public rift in the U.S.-Europe alliance in decades, reflecting the U.S. strategic shift toward "America First" and its intent to abandon European defense obligations. If this trend continues, the dissolution of NATO, U.S.-Europe economic decoupling, and the formation of a multipolar order will become irreversible.
Original: toutiao.com/article/1852250582975500/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author only.