We Should Take Advantage of Trump’s Vacuum*
Published in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
(Germany) on 3 September 2025
by Nikolas Busse (link to
original)
The friendly reception of the German foreign minister shows that India has not lost interest in the West. The fact that it is currently a West without the U.S. creates opportunities for Europe.
Europe should not replicate the strategic blunder Donald Trump allowed himself in relations with India. Of course, it would be good if New Delhi no longer financed Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine with its oil purchases. But the up-and-coming nation needs to be offered something in return. The free trade agreement in the works with the EU would be something, and it would also be useful to export-oriented Germany.
The recruitment of skilled workers that played a role in German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul’s visit to India is in the interest of both parties. Nevertheless, Germany’s actual need for such people should be ascertained. Immigrant (inclusion in) the social security net is already excessive.
Reception with Modi
The friendly reception that Wadephul experienced in New Delhi is evidence of India’s ongoing interest in the West, even if it is, at present, more like a West without the U.S. The fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi received the German foreign minister shortly after the former had participated in Xi Jinping’s anti-Western show in Tianjin demonstrates that Indians are pragmatic about the situation.
Europe can’t replace the United States in the Indo-Pacific region, and certainly not in military terms. But the vacuum created by Trump’s often erratic foreign policy doesn’t have to be left for Russia or China to fill. And it is not only happening in Asia.
*Editor's note: This article is available in its original language with a paid subscription.
Europe should not replicate the strategic blunder Donald Trump allowed himself in relations with India. Of course, it would be good if New Delhi no longer financed Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine with its oil purchases. But the up-and-coming nation needs to be offered something in return. The free trade agreement in the works with the EU would be something, and it would also be useful to export-oriented Germany.
The recruitment of skilled workers that played a role in German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul’s visit to India is in the interest of both parties. Nevertheless, Germany’s actual need for such people should be ascertained. Immigrant (inclusion in) the social security net is already excessive.
Reception with Modi
The friendly reception that Wadephul experienced in New Delhi is evidence of India’s ongoing interest in the West, even if it is, at present, more like a West without the U.S. The fact that Prime Minister Narendra Modi received the German foreign minister shortly after the former had participated in Xi Jinping’s anti-Western show in Tianjin demonstrates that Indians are pragmatic about the situation.
Europe can’t replace the United States in the Indo-Pacific region, and certainly not in military terms. But the vacuum created by Trump’s often erratic foreign policy doesn’t have to be left for Russia or China to fill. And it is not only happening in Asia.
*Editor's note: This article is available in its original language with a paid subscription.
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