Europe abandoned Trump, so Trump is abandoning Europe
'America can no longer be considered an ally of Europe,' said Dominique de Villepin, once France's foreign minister and now presidential hopeful, to Swedish journalist Martin Gelin. Friedrich Merz, the incoming German chancellor, called separately for 'real independence from the USA'.
It's safe to say that Europe has not taken the decision of Donald Trump to effectively end his nation's existing support structure for Ukraine well, which European leaders acting in a manner medically consistent with extreme shock. That an American leader could publicly chastise Zelensky, threaten to cut off aid, and disparage Nato through official Oval Office comments is too much to bear.
Europeans still don't get it. De Villepin believes America, like Russia and China, is an 'illiberal superpower,' but he and other Europeans are missing two important trends. First, the US has had enough of European freeriding. Second, that Trump is going hard after China, and as a result is focusing far less on other regional concerns.
Trump and predecessors have been trying to get Nato signatories to spend at least 2 per cent of gross domestic product on defence. There was progress last year as countries crossed the threshold for the first time, but European members and Canada are still not devoting sufficient resources to the common defence. Trump finally got tired of pleading, pressuring, and cajoling, so after two invasions of Ukraine he finally walked away. Europe abandoned its own defence, so Trump is abandoning Europe. No one should be surprised: The continent had decades of warning.
At the same time, Trump is pulling what is now known as the 'reverse Nixon,' in other words, wooing Russia to isolate China. At first, he let China off the hook. Most notably, Trump paused the implementation of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, also known as the 'TikTok law'. Also, it appears his staff was instrumental in killing proposed bipartisan legislation to review and restrict American investment into China.
Moreover, Trump tried to reach out to Xi Jinping with, among other things, an unprecedented invitation to the inauguration. The American leader made it known he wanted an invitation to Beijing during the first 100 days of his new term.
Since then, however, just about everything he's doing has had a China-hawk angle. Trump in two tranches imposed a 20 per cent across-the-board tariff on Chinese goods; announced 25 per cent steel and aluminium tariffs hitting Chinese producers hard; eliminated the $800 de minimis tariff exemption that Chinese companies in particular took advantage of (the elimination was subsequently delayed to permit inspection mechanisms to be put in place); issued the America First Investment Policy Memorandum to restrict investment into the United States by 'foreign adversaries' and American tech investments in such regimes; and had the US Trade Representative propose steep charges on Chinese-operated and Chinese-made vessels entering US ports.
China's leaders, unlike Europe's, realise the significance of the moves. 'If the US has another agenda in mind and if war is what the US wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war, or any other type of war, we're ready to fight till the end,' a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson announced Tuesday, in response to the second 10 per cent tariff.
Fight to the end? Beijing is alarmed that the new administration is showing no deference. For instance, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, in response to the Chinese comments, on Wednesday said the United States was prepared to go to war if Beijing starts one.
Trump believes the Chinese economy is fragile and will not grow 'around 5 per cent,' Premier Li Qiang's growth target for the year. America's leader knows that now is the time to hit Beijing hard. As Trump understands, economic security is national security and China is a direct national security threat. European leaders should pay attention to what he has been saying and doing.
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Scottish Sun
33 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Putin's Ukraine war toll tops 1MILLION Russians dead & wounded 40 months into ‘days-long operation'…with no end in sight
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According to the Ukrainian General Staff, one million Russian military troops have been killed since February 24, 2022, with 628,000 of those deaths occurring in the last six months. Burning through a million troops has won Putin just 20 per cent of Ukraine's total territory - mainly in southern and eastern areas - which is a humiliating conversion rate. Despite the devastating losses which have already ripped a scar in Russian society, experts fear that Putin is likely unaffected by the numbers, because mass sacrifice is ingrained in his battle plan. Read more on Vladimir Putin VLAD'S MARCH WEST We know Russia is plotting to invade Nato, says Germany's MI6 spy boss Dr Stephen Hall, politics lecturer at the University of Bath, said that as far as the warmongering dictator is concerned, things are heading in the right direction, so he will keep on condemning young Russians to their deaths. He told The Sun: "Putin believes he's winning the war. The Russian army is moving forward like it or not. "He believes that he can outlast the West, that the West is weak." Russia's strategy, Dr Hall said, has been one of "meat assault". This relies on the logic that if you flood the front line with overwhelming numbers, "eventually some will get through". Dr Hall said Putin has learned this strategy from his ruthless Soviet predecessors in World War Two. Their idea was "ten men to every rifle", which meant: "You pick up the rifle of a fall soldier. You keep going, you get shot. You're next. Your buddy picks up your rifle. We know Russia is plotting to invade Nato – Ukraine is just the beginning for Putin, says head of Germany's MI6 "The Soviet army would eventually push through. So that remains the case in Russia." And that approach suits Putin just fine, because he "doesn't care about his men", Dr Hall said. He said the Russian people "know how to suffer", which allows the regime to continue with its meat-grinder tactics. The Kremlin also meets less resistance from the Russian people than a million losses should merit, because it simply lies to them, Dr Hall said. He said: "They're simply not going to be told, especially in the poorer areas where Russia is recruiting - like Buryatia and Bashkortostan and elsewhere." Dr Hall also explained why he has little faith in the peace negotiations bringing an end to the war any time soon. Even if Ukraine makes land concessions, Putin won't feel his goals are fulfilled. Dr Hall said: 'Putin has been very clear. They're not fighting Ukraine. Ukraine is the battleground. They're fighting the West.' "Ukraine has been forced to fight a war with two hands tied behind its back — a war that NATO would never fight." Dr Hall said Putin's hope is that "Ukraine will have to just accept whatever negotiations Russia is going to give [...] because the West is going to tide over this war, and the Russian military is going to keep on going forward." Even with the death toll climbing higher by the day — over 1,140 Russian soldiers killed or wounded just yesterday, according to Ukraine's military — Putin appears to be doubling down. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said Russia's total personnel losses since the invasion began now stand at approximately 1,000,340. The tally includes not just dead soldiers but those so grievously wounded they can't return to the battlefield. 6 Ukrainian forces, meanwhile, have shown great strength and resilience in the battlefield as they protect their homeland from the Kremlin tyrant's troops Credit: Getty 6 Putin's men just clenched 20 per cent of Ukraine's total territory Credit: AFP 6 Ukrainian Army soldiers use a 105mm American M101 Howitzer artillery piece on Ukraines northeastern frontline with Russia Credit: Getty The bloody milestone comes as Putin calls for a major upgrade to Russia's ground forces, Ukrainian outlet Pravda reportas. 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He added: 'Putin once compared himself to Peter the Great, but his legacy is now much closer to Stalin. 'The two men share many of the same delusions and a profound disregard for human life. 'Stalin once said, 'A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic.' Since Putin has made no effort to end this war, it's clear he feels the same way.'
Spectator
33 minutes ago
- Spectator
Could Donald Trump scrap Aukus?
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Given Colby's previous form on Aukus, the review may well recommend scaling back or discontinuing the nuclear submarine Aukus pillar. But that would be a strategic disaster for Australia and Britain, let alone for Colby's own strategic vision, outlined in his 2021 book, of an 'anti-hegemonic coalition to contain the military ambitions of China', in which he specifically envisioned Australia. Arguably, it doesn't matter which country mans the attack nuclear submarines assigned to the Asia-Pacific theatre, as long as the boats are there. But will Colby see it that way? In Australia, however, the administration's announcement immediately set a cat amongst the pigeons. Currently, Australia spends just over two per cent of GDP on defence, and the Trump administration, including Colby, is pressuring on Australia to do far more. This month, Hegseth, told his Australian counterpart that Australia should be committing at least 3.5 per cent of GDP to ensure not just Aukus, but that her fighting personnel and ageing military hardware are fit for purpose and contributing commensurately to the Western alliance. After his face-to-face meeting with Hegseth, Australian defence minister Richard Marles seemed open to the suggestion. His prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is not. In his first major media appearance since his thumping election win a month ago, Albanese was asked whether the US could renege on supplying nuclear submarines to Australia if spending is deemed inadequate. 'Well, I think Australia should decide on what we spend on Australia's defence. Simple as that', Albanese replied. 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The Herald Scotland
an hour ago
- The Herald Scotland
Do I need tickets for Trump's military parade? What to know
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