PARIS, December 8. /TASS/. European officials are unwilling to publicly confront the US government amid Europe's already tenuous ties with the United States, fearing what US President Donald Trump might do if they push back, France’s Le Monde newspaper wrote, citing diplomatic sources.
The article says that the updated National Security Strategy of the United States came as a true shock for European politicians, who saw it as an attempt to directly intervene in Europe’s affairs. And although US politicians and public figures, including billionaire Elon Musk, openly criticize the European Commission and the European Union in general, Europe prefers not to get involved in any public feuds.
"Our goal is not to duke it out with second-tier US officials on social media," a source in French President Emmanuel Macron’s inner circle told the newspaper.
Le Monde writes that the Elysee Palace prefers to bite its tongue on the new US strategy, although it largely repeats what US Vice President JD Vance said during the Munich Security Conference in February. So far, only several European foreign ministers along with European Council President Antonio Costa have issued cautious statements on the matter.
"However, even in the face of constant aggressive rhetoric coming from Trump’s administration, this paradigm seems not to be working anymore, and the Europeans are becoming more and more skeptical about the reliability of their ‘great ally.’ Even the Baltic countries, which are very committed to trans-Atlantic links, no longer see eye to eye on the issue," the newspaper wrote.
The newspaper also wrote that the updated National Security Strategy has become the latest argument in favor of Europe’s greater strategic autonomy, which, however, does not necessarily mean that ties with Washington will be severed immediately. An unnamed European diplomat told the newspaper’s correspondent that although every European government has its own vision of ties with the United States, and their public statements do not always echo each other, "they are ready to get on the same page" and try to become less reliant on Washington’s support.
US National Security Strategy
Politico reported earlier that the new US national security strategy had sparked outrage among EU officials.
The strategy, released on December 5, in particular says that Europe "will be unrecognizable in 20 years or less" as it is on the verge of "civilizational erasure" due to the activities of the European Union and other transnational bodies. In this regard, the US administration expressed doubt that some European countries will have enough economic and military capacity to remain reliable allies for Washington.
According to the media outlet, an unnamed European official on the sidelines of the Doha Forum described the strategy’s provisions regarding the European Union "very disturbing." However, he noted that US President Donald Trump "is too powerful for European countries to do much beyond stage some symbolic diplomatic protests," Politico added.