Posted on 02/16/2025 4:00:42 PM PST by E. Pluribus Unum
MUNICH — When Russia invaded Ukraine three years ago, the United States helped whip Europe into a staunchly unified response. Now U.S. leaders may be splitting Europe into pieces as President Donald Trump seeks to end the war, European leaders and policymakers say.
Vice President JD Vance and other top administration officials made their European debut last week, slashing their way through a continent of allies as they embraced far-right leaders, demanded access to mineral wealth and offered sympathy to the views of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
By the end of the week, European leaders found themselves potentially cut out of peace talks with Russia, facing down a trade war with Washington and scrambling to answer U.S. requests about how many troops they can marshal to Ukraine to guarantee a truce negotiated without their input.
Europeans already had four years of a Trump presidency. But many policymakers say that this time feels different, with four head-snapping weeks of Trump already recasting the attitudes of leaders who had vowed to make the best of his new term in office.
“The view was a little bit more optimistic” just four weeks ago as Trump entered office, Finnish President Alexander Stubb told reporters Saturday.
“Of course, the developments that we’ve seen in the past few days give us a little bit more pause for pessimism. But as I’ve always said, pessimism is usually inaction. Optimism is action, and realism is a solution,” he continued. “So let’s be realistic and try to look at a good pathway forward.”
Many Europeans are looking at the situation “with nervousness, frustration and even alarm,” said Jeffrey Rathke, the president of the American-German Institute at Johns Hopkins University and a former U.S. diplomat...
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
So now they will make the worst of his new term in office.
No. Prophecy divides it. Trump may be an instrument to prophecy, but it is set in stone.
Europe did that all on their own, we just revealed it.
dividing the citizens from the invading Islamists
Yup, there’s a whole lot of prophecy going on.
What part of America First the Europeans do not understand?
Uncle Sam is tired of carrying them on his back.
Western Europe wants to make the world safe for perverts.
We have zero interest in fighting for that.
Oh brother.....USAID Gasping in its last load of money laundering crap. And yes.....The Post gits sum too.
The only thing that "united Europe" was grifting the US Treasury for trillions upon trillions of dollars.
Now that that's not happening anymore, Europe is "divided." What a joke.
For 4 years they didn’t want anything to do with peace. Now that Trump is going to get it done, they feel left out.
Well I say F them.
Wa po needs to explain, then, why this continent of Europe who allowed Wei and wwii to fester and drew us in killing, maiming and psychologically impairing many or most of our best is some concern to us
They take our money and laugh at us
I was there for four years on a gigantic U.S. base we were working year round. They were taking summers off, enjoying all kinds of government funded health care and benefits, retiring at 50
Pshaw
Whatever.
Western Europe was United like pigs at the trough.
Nah, Europe divided it's self, like The Washington Post and Michael Birnbaum have divided themselves from the Truth.
It would appear the EU has the problem. Ukraine is a European problem that they couldn’t/wouldn’t resolve because of poor leadership. Biden was the reason for the Russian invasion..weak leadership from Biden and a weak EU invites strong responses although Russia proved to be anything but strong.
Trump comes in and cleans up the mess. The EU has no say.
I remembered when when the Germans laughed at Trump his last term when he suggested they get off of Russian energy dependence and start paying their share.
Who’s laughing now? Germany is in full recession, manufacturing gutted, government collapsed, new elections underway- the EU is not our friends- a ship of fools.
This time they will do as President Trump says- and like it.
That was quite well put and quite accurate.
Agreed.
America First. Europe needs to deal with it.
Here’s an idea: Emulate us! We’re the best and ONLY thing still surviving (no thanks to Socialist Democrats!) as far as individual FREEDOM is concerned.
And, FWIW, under Trump, America is NOT going to be fighting the terrorists you’ve FREELY IMPORTED that are destroying Europe as a whole. You are on your own. Dumb@sses.
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