As long as the Western Europeans are spending their gazillions of euros on the American weapons of previous generations, economically they are friends to the Americans. Politically and ideologically they are enemies right now.
Based on reporting as of early 2026, the relationship between Western Europe and the United States has become increasingly transactional and strained, characterized by high-volume arms purchases alongside intense political, economic, and ideological friction.
Arms Purchases ("Economic Friends"): European NATO members have dramatically increased defense spending, with the U.S. supplying a significant portion—reportedly 64% of imports between 2020 and 2024. As of late 2025, U.S. military sales to Europe surged, with Europe becoming the largest market for U.S. weapons, including F-35 fighter jets.
Political/Ideological Divide ("Enemies"): Despite these purchases, political relations have deteriorated. In 2025-2026, the U.S. adopted a "nationalist" stance that views the EU as a potential rival. Some European perspectives, particularly in Germany and France, have described the U.S. administration as "openly hostile".
Ideological Conflicts: The 2025 U.S. National Security Strategy (NSS) and statements from leadership have been described as ideologically hostile to the current European trajectory, focusing on cultural nationalism, criticizing the EU, and praising "patriotic" (right-wing) parties.
Strained Relations: The U.S. has threatened "big retaliation" if Europe attempts to dump U.S. assets, following tariff disputes and demands for greater burden-sharing. Meanwhile, some European countries, such as Denmark, have at times identified the U.S. as a security risk, signaling a major shift in trust.
In summary, Europe is heavily dependent on American military hardware (particularly for Ukraine) but is politically and ideologically opposed to the transactional, nationalist approach of the current U.S. administration, leading to a "frenemy" dynamic of forced cooperation.
Emotionally Western Europeans are behaving like babies, whose Daddy left them and went to parties:
“MUNICH -- Ask a European official who attended the weekend's Munich Security Conference about the state of the trans-Atlantic relationship, and you are likely to hear metaphors about dealing with a troubled, possibly abusive, spouse.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a less pugnacious message when compared with last year's Munich conference. Back then, Vice President JD Vance launched a blistering attack on the governments of Europe's largest nations and embraced their far-right political opponents.
Rubio, by contrast, got a standing ovation after highlighting the importance of trans-Atlantic ties and common history and culture. Yet, though the Europeans and the Trump administration are on speaking terms once again, there are few illusions.
The deep fissure caused by January's crisis over Greenland has been papered over, but not fixed. What used to be an alliance of kindred souls is viewed by both sides today as a marriage of convenience, loveless and lacking basic trust.
"Now there is a new equation that you don't really know who is your friend and who is your ally," Kaja Kallas, the European Commission's head of foreign and security policy, said in an interview in Munich.
Ministers, lawmakers and military leaders who packed Munich's Bayerische Hof hotel over the weekend acknowledge that the common values that once bound Washington to its European allies aren't so common anymore. The focus of conversations has now shifted onto the bond that remains: hard security interests that are less susceptible to ideological rifts.
Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon's undersecretary for policy, told the attendees in Munich that he isn't sure that the onetime "hosannas and shibboleths" about shared values between Europe and the U.S. are true, at least when it comes to his part of the political spectrum.
Yet, he added, "the deduction is not being 'hey let's pull out,' but rather let's ground our partnership in something more enduring and durable and real, like shared interests. We have a shared interest in a Europe that can defend NATO territory, and so I would recommend focusing on pragmatic nuts and bolts kind of stuff."
Highlighting the positive, many European officials noted that, ahead of Munich, Colby reaffirmed at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ministerial meeting in Brussels the enduring U.S. extended nuclear deterrence in Europe -- even as he insisted that European forces will be primarily responsible for the Continent's conventional defense. Colby also praised the strides that Germany and several other European allies have made in expanding their military capabilities over the past year.
"It was important after the discussions we had over the last couple of weeks to reaffirm that, on a fundamental level, we are allies, we are friends, we share the same history, our connections go deep in every direction, and it is acknowledged and appreciated that many countries in Europe are stepping up," Netherlands Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said in an interview.
With Washington's focus on shared interests, the big question, of course, is the degree to which the U.S.'s security interests actually overlap with those of Europe today.
Seen from European capitals, the paramount security challenge is presented by the events in Ukraine. President Trump, by contrast, has repeatedly spoken of Russia as a source of great business opportunities and a possible hedge against China, with senior aides like Steve Witkoff denying any Russian threat to countries outside Ukraine.
Former Swedish foreign minister Tobias Billstrom said he found such attitudes disturbing. "The U.S. has some permanent interests, and we have to take that into account. But the U.S. has to accept that Russia is a European problem," he said. "What has worried me over the years, since the new administration came into place, is this constant downplay of Russia as a threat."
The word "Russia" wasn't even mentioned in Rubio's Munich speech, which warned instead about the perils of mass migration, unfettered trade and the "climate cult."
While Rubio said the fate of Europe will never be irrelevant to the U.S., he added that "we are prepared, if necessary, to do this alone." Many European officials took these words as a warning that Washington's commitment to European security was conditional on aligning with the Trump administration's ideology.
"Rubio's speech was JD without a beard," said Jeff Rathke, president of the American-German Institute in Washington. "It's a change of tonality without a change of policy." One European official described Rubio's Munich address as "a slap, but while wearing a silk glove."
"The worst lesson we could draw from this weekend is to say that 'I can cling to some love words that I heard in part of his speech' and push the snooze button," said France's minister of European affairs, Benjamin Haddad. Instead of fretting about Trump, he added, the Europeans must be stoic and "focus on what we can control: focus on rearmament, on the support for Ukraine, focus on competitiveness."
Trump's pressure on Ukraine to accept a peace deal on Russia's terms and surrender unconquered territory in the Donetsk region, something most European governments oppose, has been a source of trans-Atlantic tension for months.
With Trump portraying Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as an obstacle to peace, the issue could trigger another crisis in trans-Atlantic relations in coming weeks, many European leaders fear.
The lesson learned by these European governments from the previous crisis, over Trump's demand to annex Greenland, was that it pays to push back, hard. Several European nations in January sent troops to the island, which belongs to Denmark, and threatened to use their financial muscle to retaliate against the tariffs that Washington imposed in retribution.
Facing this coordinated response, Trump ended up withdrawing his tariffs and ruled out using force in Greenland.
"I definitely see that with all the strongmen, they respect strength and nothing else. So you have to either be strong or project strength. This is very clear. And if we are united, we are actually strong," said Kallas, the European Commission's foreign-affairs and security chief.
A former prime minister of Estonia, Kallas noted the inherent problem of separating values and interests.
"Our values are also our interests," she said. "The underlying values of democracy and human rights -- these are also the fundamentals for prosperity."” [1]
1. Deep Rifts Leave U.S., Europe In a Tense Marriage. Trofimov, Yaroslav. Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 17 Feb 2026: A1.
Komentarų nėra:
Rašyti komentarą