A Wake Up Call for Europe

The Alaska Summit demonstrates that Donald Trump doesn’t share Europe’s view of security in Ukraine and the continent. He has sided with Putin’s Russia and against them.

If there ever was any doubt that Donald Trump doesn’t have Europe’s best interests in mind, the Alaska Summit with Vladimir Putin finally put that to rest.

Once again, the Russian president played the US president like a chump. Flying to Alaska, Trump told reporters “I want a ceasefire” and “I’m not going to be happy if it’s not today.” Asked whether he would impose “sever consequences” on Russia if Putin refused, he responded: “Yes. Economically severe consequences.“

But it took less than three hours of talks with Putin for Trump to turn 180-degrees. Having pushed Ukraine and Europe to support a ceasefire, he abandoned any thought of an end to the fighting, arguing later that ceasefires “often times do not hold up.” Instead, he bought Putin’s longstanding argument that only a full-on peace agreement could end the war. And, of course, such a peace agreement would have to recognize Russia’s territorial gains and accept Russia’s demands to curtail Ukraine’s sovereignty.

Reports from Europe indicate that Putin offered to freeze the lines in Zaporizhzhia and Kherson where the battle is currently drawn but only if Ukraine gave up control of the entire Donbas—including the territory’s in the Donetsk province Ukraine and Russia have been fighting over since 2014. Trump reportedly also suggested that Putin may have accepted the need for Ukraine to have “NATO-like security guarantees” from the US and Europe, though no one knows what that actually means.

European leaders are now putting their last best hope on a possible trilateral meeting between Presidents Trump, Putin, and Zelenskyy. The latter will meet with Trump in Washington on Monday, and will no doubt hear about Putin’s latest “offer.” But the battle lines are already being drawn: Trump expects Zelensky and the Europeans to take the offer on the table. As he told Sean Hannity, “Now it is really up to President Zelensky to get it done,” adding, “I would also say the European nations have to get involved.” In this, Trump echoed Putin’s warning in their press conference: “we expect that Kyiv and the European capitals will perceive all of this in a constructive manner and will not create any obstacles.”

More Adversary than Ally

It’s now beyond doubt that in the war between Ukraine and Russia, Donald Trump has sided with Russia. That’s hardly a surprise. After all, Trump has always viewed Putin in a positive light, and he has long blamed Ukraine for starting the war. At his direction, the US shamefully voted with Russia against Ukraine twice at the United Nations in recent months. He has refused to assist Ukraine economically and militarily, only agreeing to sell NATO countries weapons they can provide to Ukraine, but just to “make money.” There can be little doubt that on Monday, Trump will return to pressuring Ukraine to accept the “deal” Putin has put on the table.

All of this makes one thing crystal clear: Under Trump, the United States is no longer a trustworthy ally of Europe—or indeed any other country with which the United States entered into a security alliance. In fact, the US today is more an adversary than an ally, and that is true on security, on trade, and even on politics.

Trump’s refusal to view Russia’s war against Ukraine as a threat to European or US security demonstrates a profound split in the alliance on how each side assesses the threats to their security. Trump believes American security rests on making deals, especially with strongmen leaders he looks up to — leaders like Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. European countries believe (as the US once did) that security requires upholding core rules of international behavior — starting with not changing borders by force. And to make sure that those who do violate those don’t succeed. Europeans believe in alliances; Trump believes in America First. Europeans rely on consistency and trust; Trump on inconsistency and transactions. Alliances and commitments cannot survive these inconsistencies.

The same is evident on trade. Trump and EU leaders may have celebrated the biggest trade deal in history last month, but that deal consisted of the unilateral imposition of an across-the-board 15 percent tariffs on all EU imports into the United States. Sure, that was better than the 30% Trump threatened to impose. But it still is the start of a trade war and no way to treat allies. As on security issues, Europe and the United States are no longer aligned on trade and economic issues.

The adversarial relationship also extends to politics. Trump and his administration (notably Vice President JD Vance) have openly embraced political leaders and movements that seek to undermine the political order in European societies. From Nigel Farage’s Reform party to the Alternative for Germany and from the “moist respected” Victor Orban to “the highly respected” Aleksandr Lukashenko, Trump and his followers have embraced far-right leaders and strongmen who favor a form of illiberalism that has become the hallmark of Trump’s own rule.

Moment of Truth

Europeans have looked to the United States for guidance and leadership for more than three-quarters of a century. But no more. Europe now must face its moment of truth. Whether it is its security, on trade, or in defending democracy, Europe is on its own. It’s time to abandon hope and false promises, time to abandon the flattery and take off the rose-tinted glasses. It’s time for Europe to get real, to look in the mirror and to see the United States under Trump for what it is: more adversary than ally.

This is a sad conclusion to reach, not least for someone who has devoted his life to the transatlantic relationship. But that relationship has come to an end. And a new era has dawned—one where Europe and the United States no longer see eye-to-eye but are often an opposite sides.