Brussels
—
Donald Trump took six days to build a new world. On the 7th, his former allies in Europe might have been forgiven for wanting him to rest.
President Trump’s taboo-shattering actions since last Saturday when he threatened to impose tariffs on the capture of Greenland have left the West with no doubt that the norms of the old world order have been wiped out, or, in Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s stark words, “a rupture, not a transition.”
In its place, a crueler and more lawless arena emerges, where the loudest and strongest win, and the rock of the old world, the seemingly unbreakable trust across the Atlantic, is no more.
President Trump had already made clear his desire for Denmark’s ice-bound territory Greenland in 2019. But Europe has been shocked by an escalation in bullying threats against NATO allies last week.
President Trump promised, “One way or another, we’re going to get Greenland.” Even if it means “doing it the hard way.”
In the words of French President Emmanuel Macron, “the week started with an escalation of threats of invasion and threats of tariffs.” What happened next was completely unthinkable before Trump. Allies like Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk spoke of “appeasement” (a term with a painful history in Europe) and argued that “Europe cannot afford to become weaker, either to our enemies or to our allies.”
“This is a newly created reality, a reality that is very often unstable,” a senior EU diplomat told reporters on Thursday, citing “very unconventional statements from the US government.”
President Trump has been escalating and straining relations with Europe since last January, appearing to frequently repeat the details of his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, withdrawing aid to Ukraine, Europe’s current frontline for Russia, leveling tariffs on close partners, and unleashing a barrage of mean-spirited insults online and in person.
EU Council President Antonio Costa told reporters after an EU summit late Thursday night that all agreed relationships with partners must be managed in a “honest and respectful manner” (in contrast to President Trump’s reckless attacks).
Looks like the penny has finally dropped. The United States is no longer the friend and reliable ally it once was.
For some, this realization has been long in the making, given the recent warning signs from the beginning of the Trump administration.
“Transatlantic relations have undoubtedly taken a big hit over the past week,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Callas said on Thursday.
For former EU Council President Charles Michel, it’s even tougher. “The transatlantic relationship, as we’ve known it for decades, is dead,” he told CNN.
A year after President Trump disrespected European allies, many wondered how much of the old transatlantic ties remained. President Trump’s threat to Greenland was a clear answer to that.
“No one will believe that the US is going to protect Estonia if it is going ahead with the invasion of Greenland,” one EU diplomat told CNN.
Faced with President Trump’s ambitions, Europe faced a stark choice: defiance or submission.
Polish Prime Minister Tusk said this week that “appeasement brings no results and only means humiliation,” while Belgian Prime Minister Bart de Wever told Davos that he would prefer to be a “happy subject” to the United States’ “miserable slave.”
Discussions with EU diplomats highlighted how European countries have finally united around the need for independence from the whims of the White House, especially on defense issues. And for some, it also means a move away from the attempts at flattery and “Trump whispers” that defined Europe’s approach to the United States in 2025.
The red line President Trump had broken seemed too deep. President Macron criticized the US’ trigger-happy tariffs in Davos, calling them “fundamentally unacceptable.” And, in another obvious swipe at Trump, “We like to give respect to bullies.”
There was some relief on Thursday as EU leaders convened to report on a turbulent week of diplomacy, but there was little sense that the world would return to a previous state of normalcy, even if President Trump’s diplomatic tantrums yielded little noticeable results. The White House has not yet released details of the framework agreement with Denmark regarding Greenland.
Macron and other leaders have long said last year that Europe had converged on co-financing Europe’s defense, with a focus on buying European goods, a vital provision for Europe’s industrial progress.
The EU is expected to continue on that path until 2026, supporting Europe’s growing industrial base as long as its capabilities allow. And while an EU commissioner floated the idea of a formal EU military or Security Council, no doubt a sign that Trump is pushing taboos onto the table, there is still little appetite for that level of integration.
Despite President Trump’s rants, Europe faces the same threats it faced last weekend. On Monday, Russia launched its largest ever artillery bombardment of Kiev. This week, Finnish military intelligence warned of Moscow’s threats to underwater infrastructure in the Baltic Sea, a favorite target of Russian-linked saboteurs. And the risks posed by hostile forces in the Middle East and China have not disappeared.
In speaking to EU diplomats across the bloc, not a single one suggested that Europe should defer to a White House that covets the sovereign territory of its allies. But their public resistance was not always brash.
US military and economic power is an important currency for Europe, and the continent is not yet ready to avoid sustained conflict with Russia on its own. Trump has made no secret of his grudges, and some people are wary of antagonizing him.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he was “grateful” for Trump’s change of heart, even as Trump backed away from a potential conflict over Greenland after Europe raised the threat of a “trade bazooka” to block US access to European markets.
The Baltic states are typically Europe’s most outspoken countries, but they have been particularly quiet in response to Trump’s difficult stance.
“Instead of focusing on the emotional side of the dilemma presented by the White House, we should instead focus on the military and technical aspects, identifying and solving mutual practical problems,” former Lithuanian Defense Minister Dovile Shakaliene told CNN, adding that it would take five to 10 years for Europe to be able to match the military power of the United States on the continent.
“Cooperation, not confrontation, should be the key word,” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda told reporters. “The United States remains our closest friend.”
