Rosa Balfour
This piece is part of a Carnegie series examining the impacts of Trump’s first 100 days in office.
At some point between February 12, when U.S. President Donald Trump spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the televised humiliation of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky on February 28, Europe realized it could no longer rely on its longtime ally, the United States.
The shocking depth and breadth of this realization cannot be overemphasized. Political leaders in European states, the European Union, and NATO displayed composure and coordination, but behind the scenes, the soundtrack was a frantic free jazz jam session with dramatic thuds and a long pause—the silence at the realization that the European comfort zone was over.
This revelation shattered the “Trump-proofing” preparations, which included a mix of appeasement, “cheque book diplomacy,” flattery, and moves to dodge direct hits. Some countries were—or thought they were—better placed to seek a relationship with the new president, but the U.S. administration has displayed widespread antagonism toward the EU. The deep entanglement between the two sides of the Atlantic (worth $9.5 trillion and 16 million jobs) means that the dramatic changes in policy have an existential impact on the continent. But the building blocks of a response strategy are coming into focus in three key areas.
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