“In Brussels, there is no hangover atmosphere. We were very well prepared. No surprises,” assures a community diplomat.This isn’t our first rodeo with Donald Trump in the White House.. We approach our relationship with the United States with lucidity, with a spirit of dialogue but also with strength,” agrees another senior EU official.
In a carefully choreographed gesture in advance, the heads of state and government of the 27 They put aside their dissatisfaction with the result elections in the United States –Kamala Harris was preferred by an overwhelming majority of them – and they hastened to congratulate Trump on his resounding victory, presenting him with a sort of offer of peace and collaboration justified by the importance of relations between Brussels and Washington.
“We believe we are better together. We can achieve much more working together than against each other.“, declared the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholzone of those who seemed the most injured. “The EU and the United States are more than just allies. We are united by a true partnership between our people, numbering 800 million citizens. Let’s work together in a transatlantic partnership that continues to deliver results for them. Millions of jobs and billions in trade and investment on both sides of the Atlantic depend on the dynamism and stability of our economic relations,” the Commission President reminded Trump. Ursula von der Leyen.
At the same time, the EU is under no illusions and is accelerating preparations for the nightmare scenario this would be triggered if Trump keeps his election promises. On the one hand, an open trade war with customs duties of up to 100% for imported cars. But perhaps most worrying in Brussels is the end of US military support for Ukraine, which threatens to result in a rapid defeat of Ukraine’s government. Volodymyr Zelensky in front of the Kremlin. A possibility which will be discussed during the informal summit of European leaders which begins this Thursday in Budapest.
Olaf Scholz and Emmanuel Macron have already announced a joint initiative to “a more united, stronger and more sovereign Europe in this new context”. The problem is that the German Chancellor and the French President do not understand each other particularly well and are trading lower due to their weakness in their respective countries. “Europe must urgently take greater responsibility for its security. The winds of history blow stronger and stronger“, says the Polish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Radoslaw Sikorski.
“The EU has its own very strong objectives and policy instruments. After all, we are a Union of 450 million citizens, we have one of the strongest economies in the world and we are a major global trading power. So let’s continue to work on our political priorities, such as the fight against climate change or the defense of Ukraine. And in some areas, we of course agree with the United States,” Von’s spokesperson explained. der Leyen, which is also committed to support the United States. strengthen the strategic autonomy of Brussels vis-à-vis Washington.
As expected, the Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orbanimmediately distanced itself from this message of European unity. Orbán is the big winner of the elections in the United States since he opted for Trump from the start and is also the host of the meetings in Budapest, since Hungary holds the rotating presidency of the EU this semester. “A new European strategy is needed for Ukraine“, he proclaimed at the summit of Turkish states held in the capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek.
Donald Trump arrives with his wife Melania at the Palm Beach County Convention Center, Florida, to address supporters after winning the presidential election.
Reuters
Orbán not only questioned whether Europe could maintain its military and financial support for Ukraine if Trump withdrew from the conflict. In addition, questioned the viability in this new scenario of the $50 billion loan agreed by the G7 for the Zelensky government and co-financed by the EU and the United States, which was precisely orchestrated to protect aid to kyiv against the return of the Republican. “We are convinced that the United States, like the EU, has a major interest in Ukraine being strong and sovereign,” responds von der Leyen’s spokesperson.
In the trade area, the community executive already has a whole arsenal of retaliation in the event that Trump carries out his threat to impose customs surcharges on imports from the EU. “We will not turn the other cheek, but the reaction will be measured and proportionate, in accordance with our interests and respecting the rules of public order. World Trade Organization. We already did it in 2018, we have experience,” explains the senior European official.
At NATO, the new Secretary General, Marc Rutteone of the few to have maintained good relations with Trump until the end of his first term, resorted from day one to a tactic that Europeans know works: flatter him. “President-elect Trump demonstrated the strength of American leadership during his first term, a term that changed the course of European defense spending, improved transatlantic burden-sharing and strengthened the capabilities of the Alliance,” said Rutte.
The truth is that Trump repeatedly called NATO “obsolete”has repeatedly threatened to leave and attacked member states he says are taking advantage of the US military umbrella and not spending enough on defense. “When he takes office on January 20, he will be greeted by a stronger, broader and more united Alliance. Two-thirds of allies now spend at least 2% of their GDP on defenseand military spending and production are on an upward trajectory across the Alliance,” Rutte responds.
