“Trump vs. Europe: America Is Now an Adversary”, Der Spiegel

A DER SPIEGEL Editorial by Mathieu von Rohr

Donald Trump has jettisoned the existing world order and the U.S. is backing away from decades-old alliances. Europe has no choice but to fend for itself.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance: Trying to force Kyiv into capitulation. Foto: Adam Gray / AFP

There is no sugarcoating the dramatic situation in which Europe currently finds itself. The old world order has collapsed. Donald Trump’s America is no longer an ally, it is an adversary. The Western alliance is no more. Europe must now become strong itself – or it will founder.

It was a moment that will go down in the history books: Trump and U.S. Vice President JD Vance humiliating Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office – a man who until that moment had been an American ally. They declared the victim of the Russian invasion to be the real problem. Since then, the U.S. has discontinued weapons deliveries to Ukraine and suspended intelligence sharing with the Ukrainian military. Rather than ramping up the pressure on Russia, the U.S. is trying to force Kyiv into capitulation. Such is the new reality, and it is one that represents an existential threat to Europe.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with Trump in the White House on February 28 Foto: Saul Loeb / AFP

The geo-political impact of February 28, 2025, the day of the White House clash, is similar to that of February 24, 2022, the day Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine. With his attack, Putin revealed just how fragile European security is and how misguided the reliance on energy imports from Russia. Three years later, Trump has demonstrated with brutal clarity that Europe is no longer able to rely on the U.S. for security but must become completely self-reliant. That also means that there is no longer an American nuclear umbrella that will reliably protect Europe.

The importance of this fundamental rupture for Germany cannot be overstated. In many respects, the Federal Republic of Germany was an American creation, with the U.S. having shepherded Germany down the path of democracy following World War II. America was Germany’s big brother, and although the relationship was not always free of tension, there was never a doubt about the military support from across the Atlantic. That is now over.

Trump’s first term in office demonstrated just how little value he places in allies and how attracted he is to autocrats like Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. This time around, he is speaking seriously about making Greenland and Canada a part of the U.S., he has launched trade wars with close allies, and he has claimed that the European Union was only founded to “screw over the U.S.” Europe, of course, must continue trying to maintain diplomatic relations with this manifestation of America. It must make attractive offers to Washington and hope that one day, a subsequent resident of the White House will pursue different policies.

But that changes nothing about the fundamental shift that has taken place: Trump and his cronies have shattered the world order that has guaranteed security and prosperity in Europe and the United States since 1945. It was a unique system built on the foundation of an economic and military alliance within which the U.S. held the leadership role, but which depended on close cooperation.

The new U.S. president only sees the burdens that this alliance placed on America’s shoulders; he is blind to its benefits. He sees the world through the eyes of a 19th century imperialist: In his view, the world’s great powers should divide the world among themselves and demand complete subservience from their vassals. But Europe cannot succumb to this worldview. It must now rediscover its economic and military strength in order to survive in this new world – one defined by the naked pursuit of power.

Ukrainian soldier at the front near Donetsk Foto: Roman Chop / AP

Dramatic events have the potential to awaken strength. Nobody has strengthened NATO to the degree Putin did with his attack on Ukraine. Europe immediately begin investing huge amounts in its armies, with Finland and Sweden even joining the alliance as a consequence. Might Donald Trump now be the one to revive a faltering Europe with his radical change of course?

Trump is right about one thing: Once the Cold War ended, a wealthy Europe spent far too long relying militarily on the U.S. There is no reason why 500 million Europeans shouldn’t be able to defend themselves against Russia on their own. They are economically strong enough to do so – and has now become an imperative.

The initial news has been encouraging: The Europeans quickly held a summit at which they clearly sided with Ukraine. They worked out joint proposals for a peace plan and indirectly made it clear that they expect a seat at the negotiating table in exchange for the billions of euros they have invested in Ukraine – a seat that Trump is eager to deny. The news from Germany – which has been so hesitant with military spending in the past but, as one of the most important countries in Europe, must now take a leadership role – has likewise been reassuring: The conservatives under Friedrich Merz, who is set to become Germany’s next chancellor, and his likely coalition partners from the Social Democrats are interested in suspending the country’s balanced budget rules when it comes to defense spending. They will need the Green Party to push through the change, but it is the right move at the right time. Still, it can only be the beginning.

U.S. President Donald Trump with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki in 2018 Foto: ALEXEY NIKOLSKY / AFP

That which French President Emmanuel Macron has been demanding in vain for eight years must now become Europe’s generational project: Europe’s strategic autonomy. That means greater economic independence from the U.S. and China in the technology sector. The EU essentially has no leading tech company and no European satellite internet. New industrial policy is required, coupled with massive investments.

Above all, however, Europe will need a credible joint defense posture that also includes nuclear weapons – ideally a common defense shield, but if necessary, individual countries that are especially threatened will have to lead the way. Defense spending is finally on the rise, but that won’t be enough. Europeans must plan together, harmonize procurement and develop joint intelligence capabilities. Beyond that, a Europe that wishes to be taken seriously must avoid a situation in which its foreign policy can be torpedoed by a single member state like Hungary. A coalition of the willing must be formed – with non-EU countries like the United Kingdom and Turkey as well.

The maturation of Europe will be difficult and expensive. We will have to outdo ourselves. There is, however, no other choice.