Europe is urgently banding together in response to Trump’s administration in America. Last week, Germany’s likely next leader, Friedrich Merz, fresh from election victory, declared it his “absolute priority” “to strengthen Europe as quickly as possible so that, step by step, we can really achieve independence from the USA”.
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If that were not dramatic enough, the presumptive leader of Europe’s largest economy also talked about the prospect of establishing “an independent European defence capability much more quickly” at the Nato summit in June, suggesting the possibility of major upheaval. Crucially, Merz has displayed an intention to work closely with French President Emmanuel Macron, the chief advocate of European strategic autonomy.
The unprecedented statements came shortly before the shocking shouting match between US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, which only reinforced deepening fault lines in transatlantic relations. In response, top European leaders, along with Canada’s, held a special summit on Sunday where they pledged to back Ukraine and ramp up defence spending.
In contrast, America’s transpacific allies have been relatively subdued in their criticism of the White House and are expecting to be “first-in-line” in any major defence and trade deals.
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have held cordial talks with Trump, underscoring the depth of affection and strategic ties. The US has also exempted frontline allies such as Taiwan from its freeze on foreign aid and is reportedly set to allocate up to US$5 billion in defence aid to the Philippines.
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‘We all will die’: What would the end of USAID mean for Asia’s most vulnerable?
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Still, the Trump administration’s brazen flirtation with rival superpowers such as Russia, public berating of a wartime ally like Ukraine and transactionalist foreign policy is pushing America’s European and Asian allies to strengthen ties with one another. US allies should be contemplating ways to “de-risk” and engage in collective bargaining with Trump.