Trump won’t be taking the pressure off Europe any time soon

In the @FT, @gideonrachman rightfully points out that Europe has a lot of leverage that can be used against the US—tariffs, armament contracts, bases in Europe to project US power forward—if Trump does not back down. But this does not fill me with optimism, because Europe has consistently failed to show that it is willing and able to use any of its levers.

Four years was plenty of time for Europe to build up the necessary strength and resolve to support Ukraine fully, thereby maintaining our continent’s relevance and influence in international affairs, but that didn’t happen.

Europe, not so long ago, accepted unilateral tariffs, deliberately underplaying the weight of the world’s biggest trading bloc. If it was an attempt to de-escalate with Trump – it didn’t work.

When it came to frozen Russian assets, European team spirit crumbled again. And although it wasn’t a financial loss for Ukraine—who will be getting 90 billion euros—it was a defeat for Europe as a whole. Under pressure from both Russia and the US, despite the considerable efforts of Chancellor Merz, the EU will continue to protect the money of the aggressor.

In the eye of the storm, the EU could invite Greenland back into the European Union, offering the guarantees of EU treaty article 42 (7). But it’s extremely difficult to see European leaders agreeing on this.

We know we are stuck, our friends and enemies know too. Therefore nobody should expect the pressure on Europe to be reduced until we realise that respect is fought for, not begged for.