U.S. Leadership Approval Slips Among NATO Allies

World leaders have descended on Davos, Switzerland this week to discuss global economic and geopolitical challenges, from Ukraine to artificial intelligence. Top of the agenda, however, is Greenland, following the much-anticipated arrival of U.S. President Donald Trump today amid heightened tensions between Washington and Europe. In an address to European and NATO leaders, Trump said the United States is “seeking immediate negotiations” to acquire Greenland, adding that he “won’t use force”.

Against this backdrop, new Gallup data illustrates how perceptions of U.S. leadership have shifted over the past year. Approval of Washington across 31 NATO allies fell 14 percentage points between 2024 and 2025, to just 21 percent, marking the lowest level since 2020, when it fell to 18 percent during U.S. President Donald Trump’s first term in office. The steepest declines were recorded in Germany (-39 percentage points) and Portugal (-38 percentage points), with approval falling by at least 10 percentage points in 18 cases overall. Turkey saw the highest increase in approval, posting a 12-point increase. The data was collected between March and October 2025, prior to recent developments such as the military action in Venezuela and the latest escalation over Greenland.

Perceptions of China meanwhile have warmed somewhat. Approval of Beijing among NATO allies rose 8 percentage points to 22 percent in 2025, roughly matching U.S. levels. Gains were particularly pronounced in Turkey (+21 p.p.), Spain (+15 p.p.) and Greece (+14 p.p.). While the polling is from last year, more positive sentiment appears to have carried into 2026, at least in the case of Canada, as expressed by Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who announced plans last week to work more closely with Beijing on trade in an effort to reduce dependence on the United States.

Approval of Russia remained low at 10 percent, while the EU was viewed most favorably, with a 60 percent approval rating.