Ammon News - Europe must step up efforts on defence and play a bigger role in NATO as US President Donald Trump has "shaken the transatlantic relationship to its foundation", EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas said Wednesday.

Trump rocked European allies this month by threatening to seize Greenland from NATO and EU member Denmark before eventually backing off.

The crisis the latest to buffet ties since his return to power a year ago has reinforced calls for the continent to cut its decades-long reliance on NATO's dominant military superpower for protection.

"Let me be clear: we want strong transatlantic ties. The US will remain Europe's partner and ally. But Europe needs to adapt to the new realities. Europe is no longer Washington's primary centre of gravity," Kallas told a defence conference in Brussels.

"This shift has been ongoing for a while. It is structural, not temporary. It means that Europe must step up -– no great power in history has outsourced its survival and survived."

Kallas remained clear-eyed that NATO remains the bedrock of European security.

She said EU efforts should "remain complementary" to those of the alliance, but insisted Europe needed to play a bigger role.

"Especially now, as the US is setting its sights beyond Europe, NATO needs to become more European to maintain its strength," she said.

"For this, Europe must act," Kallas added.

AFP