The death of the US-Europe partnership!

By: Contribution for Syrializm

It’s indeed a clear sign of the breakdown in between the United States and Europe of decades of strategic partnership, that reached the climax after World War II.

The United States played a key role in rebuilding Europe and establishing NATO to confront the Eastern Bloc of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact, as both the West and the East entered the throes of the Cold War.

Even after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the fall of the Berlin Wall, which led to the unification of Germany, the heart of Europe, this heralded the era of American global hegemony, part of what became known as the era of unipolar global governance.

The United States became the sole driver of Western policies and interests in general, leaving European countries to take a back seat, completely led by the United States and supporting its policies, including the war on terror, confronting Russia and China, and other sensitive international issues, both political and economic.

But with Trump’s arrival at the White House in his first term in January 2017, the trend took a sharp turn and a harsh turn.

In fact, Trump’s approach to European partners was strange and shocked them… Then, bad news began pouring into Europe from the United States, until the COVID-19 pandemic swept the world, forcing everyone into quarantine and causing economic recovery problems after the pandemic.

With Trump’s loss in the election and the Democrats’ rise to power in the United States, Europe breathed a sigh of relief with Joe Biden in the White House.

Europe quickly found itself facing the dilemma of the Russian war in Ukraine, as the Europeans allied with the United States to impose successive sanctions on Russia and support Kyiv with weapons, money, and even fighters, hoping to defeat Vladimir Putin.

But once again, the shock has returned, with the return of the prodigal son… Yes, Trump is back again, resuming the policies he pursued during his first presidential term, only this time with greater ferocity.

Ironically, Ukraine appears to be at the forefront of Trump’s policy victims, as the US President Donald Trump turned harshly against Ukraine and its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, who had long relied on US and Western support in the ongoing confrontation against Russia.

The scene was shocked many, as what had been whispered turned into a public dispute and a clash blatantly visible to all.

As usual, Trump, who has never hidden his displeasure with Europe, came to completely change the rules of the game.

In contrast, European leaders are no longer embarrassed to express their displeasure with Washington’s policies under Trump.

Before his return to the White House, it was clear that Trump viewed the Biden administration’s support for Ukraine as exaggerated, asserting that the solution lay in reaching a settlement to the conflict with Russia.

He even promised before his election that he would put an end to wars, pledging to extinguish the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.

When he hosted Zelensky at the White House, Trump made no secret of his displeasure with the Ukrainian president’s refusal to accept a ceasefire, which seemed more like a stern rebuke than a transaction between two allied heads of state.

Some media reports even suggested that Zelensky left the White House under duress, not of his own volition.

During the meeting, Trump directly criticized Kyiv, asserting that its military was not winning the war and that its casualties were mounting.

He reminded Zelensky that his position didn’t allow him to impose his conditions on Washington, as his support was entirely dependent on US aid.

After the meeting, Trump made it clear that Zelensky would be welcome back, provided he was ready for peace and a ceasefire.

The incident didn’t go unnoticed, as French President Emmanuel Macron found himself forced to respond, asserting that Ukraine was the aggressor and that supporting it against Russia was and remains the right choice.

Macron made clear that respecting those who have been fighting from the start is unquestionable, pledging to continue supporting Kyiv and punish Moscow.

Trump’s return to the White House wasn’t good news for Europeans, who hadn;t hidden their concerns even before the election.

Today, their statements reflect their growing fears about the impact Trump’s policies could have on the “Old Continent”.

At last year’s European Political Group summit, Macron warned that Europe must take its own security into its own hands, regardless of sudden shifts in US policy.

He emphasized that the current phase is crucial, as the war in Ukraine, the US elections, and China’s technological challenges intertwine, giving Europe an opportunity to reshape its future rather than remain hostage to the interests of others.

Tensions in transatlantic relations are not new; they have been evident since the George W. Bush administration, and Obama unsuccessfully attempted to address them.

Trump, on the other hand, was not the first US president to express his displeasure with Europeans’ reliance on NATO instead of investing in arming their own militaries.

During the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, disputes between Western countries came to the fore, as disputes erupted between the United States and Europe over the acquisition of masks and ventilators.

Germany accused the United States of seizing 200,000 masks intended for Berlin, while France accused Washington of doubling purchase prices to obtain similar shipments at the last minute.

In 2023, the AUKUS defense deal between the US, Britain, and Australia sparked a diplomatic crisis with France, after Canberra canceled a massive submarine deal with Paris in favor of a new agreement with Washington and London.

France then recalled its ambassador from Australia and the US, considering the incident a “stab in the back”.

History tells us that the relationship between Europe and the United States has never been ideal.

Since World War I, Washington has dealt with the Old Continent based on interests, not fixed alliances.

And with Trump’s return, tensions appear set to reach unprecedented levels, as the world prepares for new equations that could completely reshape the geopolitical landscape.

Therefore, it has become clear to most European leaders that they are about to make entirely new decisions, unlike what their countries have been accustomed to in recent decades, as full reliance on the United States is no longer come free of charge.

Consequently, Europeans have two options: