There is a growing understanding in Europe that normal cooperation with the new administration of Donald Trump is currently impossible.
This opinion was expressed in an interview with Ukrinform by Jana Puglierin, a prominent German security expert from the European Council on Foreign Relations.
“I think there is a very strong and growing understanding in Europe that cooperation with this Trump administration is impossible. And that is what distinguishes it from Trump’s first administration,” the expert stated.
She noted that previously, especially in Central and Eastern Europe, countries viewed the presence of American troops on their territory as a reliable security guarantee and considered Trump to be “basically more reliable than a European security guarantee.” However, this perception has changed in recent months.
Puglierin does not believe that Trump himself has “radicalized” between his first and second terms. Instead, she argues, the Republican Party itself has changed.
“During his first term, Trump was unprepared and was held back by what were called the ‘adults in the room’. When he first came to power, the Republican Party was still full of traditional Republicans with traditional views on foreign policy… This means that America has changed, and Trump’s team has done its homework: they now have plans, they have personnel. So Trump is no longer restrained as he was during his first term—he now has free rein, and that gives him the ability to implement his agenda,” she explained.
Puglierin also pointed out that Washington has a great deal of potential leverage over Europe. For example, she recalled the suspension of military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine to pressure Kyiv into making concessions. If the U.S. wants to push through some agreement in Europe, they could, for example, threaten to revise planned statements for the upcoming NATO summit, she believes.
As Ukrinform previously reported, U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, just days after Donald Trump’s inauguration, gave a speech at the Munich Security Conference that left European leaders feeling that the U.S. was no longer an unquestionably committed partner. Statements about Greenland, plans to reduce the U.S. military presence in Europe, and Washington’s stance on Ukraine have only reinforced this impression.
Source: Europe becoming aware that cooperation with Trump administration impossible – German expert
