US will remain Europe’s key ally regardless of election outcome, says Nausėda

President Gitanas Nausėda says the United States will remain Europe’s most important strategic ally regardless of the presidential election’s outcome but European countries need to increase their defence budget to retain this transatlantic partnership.

"Today, US citizens vote for their next President. No matter the outcome, the US will remain Europe’s key strategic ally," Nausėda wrote on X on Tuesday.

"For the transatlantic partnership to endure, Europe must boost defence spending and show clear commitment to collective security," the president said.

Americans are choosing between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump, former president, as they go to the polls to elect their next president on Tuesday.

Allies in European allies are worried that Trump’s win in a razor-tight race could lead to a potential shift in Washington’s stance towards Europe and pose a further challenge to the NATO alliance founded at the start of the Cold War.