Trump’s Return Leaves an Uneasy Europe Preparing for Turmoil
(Bloomberg) -- The European Union is falling into an uneasy waiting game ahead of Donald Trump’s return as a summit meeting betrayed how leaders are mostly on standby to see what he will actually do.
Most Read from Bloomberg
New York City’s Historic Preservation Movement Is Having a Midlife Crisis
NYPD Car Chases Are Becoming More Frequent — and More Dangerous
Dakar’s Air Quality Plummets as Saharan Dust Descends on Senegal
With Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy joining the gathering in Brussels, the leaders warned against any hasty decisions to seek peace in Ukraine, even as they hung in suspense to see whether Trump will follow through on pledges to cut US aid flowing to Kyiv.
A meeting that sought to drive home unity featured some notable absences. Emmanuel Macron of France skipped the summit to survey flood damage in the Indian Ocean. Italy’s Giorgia Meloni left early with the flu. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was there, but hobbled politically at home.
Trump’s closest EU ally, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has maintained ties with Vladimir Putin, has a starring role in the summit’s final news conference.
In all, Trump’s return has caught the EU at its most vulnerable moment in years, leaving leaders to piece together a way forward.
“President Trump is going to be the president of the United States for the next four years,” Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris told reporters on Thursday before the meeting. “We need to engage and we need to put structures in place to have that respectful, pragmatic engagement.”
The summit was marked by a renewed sense of urgency among the 27 leaders heading into the gathering, according to a European diplomat who declined to be named speaking under condition of anonymity.
A number of leaders, including Scholz, Meloni, the prime ministers of Denmark, the Netherlands and the president of Poland huddled separately on Wednesday evening to discuss support for Kyiv with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and Zelenskiy.
That prompted Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, among the NATO leaders who weren’t invited, to complain about the exclusive gathering.
Trump has pledged to put a swift end to the war, but he hasn’t provided details of how he intends to do that. On Monday, he said Ukraine needs to reach a deal to end the Russian invasion and signaled he may push for a settlement that codifies Russian territorial gains.
“Any push for negotiations too soon will be a bad deal for Ukraine,” said Kaja Kallas, the EU’s new top diplomat. “All the other actors in the world are carefully watching how we act.”
Another staunch Ukrainian ally, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, said EU leaders wanted a resolution, but one that proves to be a just peace. He also acknowledged that the bloc is “waiting for some kind of an initiative from a new American administration.”
Not Entirely Convinced
Scholz addressed the war with Trump during a phone call on Thursday, according to the German chancellery.
“They agreed that the Russian war against Ukraine has gone on for far too long and that it is important to get on the path to a fair, just and sustainable peace as soon as possible,” Scholz’s spokesman, Steffen Hebestreit, said in a statement.
European governments would be hard-pressed to fill any vacuum in Ukrainian aid left by the US. Many NATO member states have fallen short of the alliance’s benchmark for defense spending, one of Trump’s main grievances. The years of underfunding on security have left Europe exposed to an escalating Kremlin campaign of hybrid attacks.
The EU must “spend more money on defense, that’s the short answer,” Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told reporters. “It’s not just Trump, it’s successive American presidents who have said the same thing. Europe will have to be able to do more in its own right and defend itself.”
Scholz, who lost a confidence vote earlier this month, said he was confident that the foreign policy cooperation with the US will continue under Trump’s administration.
“In my talks with President Trump, I at least realized that it’s possible for us to develop our policies together so that Ukraine has a good perspective,” Scholz said.
Zelenskiy, who also attended the summit, welcomed a Trump initiative to end Russia’s war, but warned against pushing for a ceasefire agreement that could easily unravel. He also called for a common line between the US and EU as he seek security guarantees ahead of any negotiation.
For Serbian leader Aleksandar Vucic, who is seeking EU membership, the key to any peace for Ukraine is Russia’s readiness to normalize relations with the US, as well as support from China. Vucic has long been engaged in a balancing act, maintaining close ties with Moscow and Beijing. Serbia didn’t adopt sanctions against Russia.
“I hope they will manage to reach an agreement,” Vucic said on Thursday in Brussels. “I hope so, but I’m not entirely convinced.”
--With assistance from Jorge Valero, Andra Timu, Julius Domoney, Misha Savic, Andrea Palasciano, Sanne Wass, Olivia Fletcher, Slav Okov, Ania Nussbaum, Michael Nienaber and Alberto Nardelli.
(Updates with Scholz-Trump phone call in 13th paragraph.)
Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek
The Property Brothers Say Hold Off on the Big Home Renovation in 2025
AI Giants Seek New Tactics Now That ‘Low-Hanging Fruit’ Is Gone
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.
