How the US under Trump Became a Strategic and Ideological Adversary of Europe
The Europeans' worst security nightmare seems to be coming true: on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met in Saudi Arabia to initiate the normalization of relations between their two countries. The meeting also aimed to set up peace negotiations for Ukraine. However, despite having the potential to affect the entire continent, the discussions took place without the Europeans or the Ukrainians being present.
This Russo-American rapprochement comes just days after a highly combative speech by U.S. Vice President JD Vance, in which he expressed a blunt ideological rejection of Europe and its liberal values. Delivered at the Munich Security Conference, it echoed a similar hostile speech made by Vladimir Putin at the 2007 edition of the same conference. At that time, the Russian president harshly criticized the NATO accession of former Eastern Bloc countries, a move that had taken place despite American promises made to Gorbachev in 1990. These remarks marked the return of a revisionist, anti-Western Russia, which has now achieved a real victory, as Trump’s United States is reconnecting with Moscow and now seems to view Europe—its historical ally—as its primary adversary.
How has the West become so fractured? What levers for action does Europe have in the coming months?
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Laurence NARDON
Research Fellow, Head of the Americas Program, Ifri
Americas Program
Ifri's work on the Americas region focuses mainly on the United States. Indeed, for more than 20 years, Ifri's Americas Program has provided keys to understanding American society and domestic policy while shedding light on developments in the country's foreign policy, including transatlantic relations and trade issues.
Since 2023, a specific axis on Latin America structures more actively Ifri's research on this region.
Ifri's Canada program was active in 2015 and 2016.
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