EU under Pressure from Trump and Vance

The EU states are grappling with the neo-imperial designs of Trump and Putin — but they must prevail.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance may have shocked allies with their “shock and awe” strategy, but none of their European counterparts were frozen with fear during the Munich Security Conference.

Quite the contrary. The European political leaders almost unanimously criticized the American leadership duo for their phone call with war criminal Vladimir Putin, and for Vance’s fiery speech, which claimed that the alleged democratic shortcomings of the old continent pose more of a threat than Russia or China.

The only victors of this row are Putin and his ally China. The once successful West is disintegrating without their support, Trump pledged the conquered Ukrainian territories to Putin even before the start of potential peace negotiations, and Ukraine will not become a NATO member. Those are just some of the Moscow autocrat’s military goals.

Trump and Vance Make Headlines Again

Still, the isolated Trump and Vance can claim their many headlines as victories. They have, moreover, remained faithful to their main objectives while once again destroying something in the process. This time, it’s the trans-Atlantic relations that have ensured prosperity and security in the U.S. and the West since the end of the World War II. With the onset of a cultural war against Europe, Vance also threatens to destroy shared value systems with the West.

However, Trump’s administration failed to present a semi-reasonable peace plan that provides answers rather than promoting chaos. More probable, however, is that that is not what they wanted. Neither Europe nor Ukraine are especially important in their world. The U.S. government simply wants to end the war, divide Ukraine, pocket its natural resources, and leave Europe to oversee the safety of the rest of the occupied country. Long-lasting peace is not on the U.S. agenda.

The biggest losers are Germany and the other European countries, including Ukraine. Their representatives in Munich, however, used excellent chains of reasoning to score verbally — and charismatically — against Trump and Vance. The European representatives also spoke at length against their own powerlessness and encouraged themselves by referring to Europe as a “superpower.” However, they didn’t manage to alter the U.S. position on the matter. Obviously, the EU no longer plays a role in Trump and Putin’s neo-imperialist world.

Under these circumstances, the prospects for a planned peace process are rather moderate. Ukraine is going to resist a forced peace deal at the negotiating table. Europe wants to develop its own ideas during a Ukraine summit. However, it is still unclear under what conditions the weapons in Ukraine will fall silent, how Russia can be prevented from attacking its neighbor again, and how long-lasting peace can be achieved in the region.

What’s clear is that the tone between Europe and the U.S. remains tense. Ultimately, Trump’s administration is launching economic attacks on the old continent and preparing for a culture war against Europe’s value-based order. There are also military budgets to contend with. The European countries are under pressure. They have to invest heavily not only to equip their armies but also to continue assisting Ukraine. For that to happen, they need to produce more weapons. So far, a unified political will has been lacking in that regard. Europe also has yet to demonstrate whether it is ready for its much anticipated turning point.

Naturally, that only holds true if Trump actually succeeds in ending Putin’s war. And that’s what he still needs to demonstrate.