French media: Trump criticizes Europe: the outside world feels that Europe allows itself to be insulted without responding

France's Le Monde on Thursday focused on U.S. President Trump and his government's recent constant criticism of Europe, but the EU and its member states mostly remained silent. The newspaper stated that EU leaders and member states have chosen not to respond to the latest accusations by the U.S. president and his government, giving the impression that EU leaders avoid criticism and fear retaliation, making it seem as if Europe allows itself to be insulted without responding. This attitude is reminiscent of the weakness shown by the EU earlier this summer when it reached an imbalanced US-EU trade agreement with the Trump administration.

The U.S. government released a new national security strategy on December 5th, which portrays the EU as an "economically declining" EU, an EU facing "the disappearance of civilization," and attributes this to the EU's immigration, low birth rates, and so-called restrictions on freedom of speech within the EU. Regarding the rise of far-right forces in Europe, the U.S. government's new national security strategy gave a positive evaluation. Additionally, on the same day the U.S. government released the new national security strategy, the EU imposed a fine on the X social platform, and Musk publicly declared that the EU should be "abolished."

Le Monde pointed out that in response to the series of criticisms from the United States against the EU, Hungary's Prime Minister Orbán praised Musk, while Italy's Prime Minister Meloni downplayed the differences. In addition, apart from Polish Prime Minister Tusk and European Council President Costa expressing some discomfort, most European leaders chose to avoid these criticisms from the United States. Some European leaders explained that these views are not new and that they come from the U.S. government's document, not from Trump's own statements. They said that what is more important is practical actions, such as supporting Ukraine, increasing European defense spending, maintaining EU regulatory sovereignty, and enhancing competitiveness. European Commission President von der Leyen also took an evasive approach, emphasizing that the U.S. remains a key ally, and she highlighted favorable content from the U.S. strategy for acknowledgment.

However, subsequently, on December 9th, Trump again criticized Europe for being weak, criticized Europe for pursuing political correctness, and accused Europe of being inactive on trade and immigration issues, and he also accused Europe of "talking but not doing" on the Ukraine issue. Trump's statement prompted German Chancellor Merkel to respond that certain statements in the U.S. strategy were "unacceptable," and she called on Europe to reduce its dependence on the United States in terms of security.

Le Monde pointed out that despite this, some European countries still regard the United States as an indispensable security partner, especially the Baltic countries. At the same time, a conversation between European leaders and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy two days prior, published by Germany's Der Spiegel on December 3rd, showed that some European leaders had realized that the times had changed and were concerned about the possibility of the U.S. changing its position. Macron even warned Zelenskyy that the U.S. "might betray Ukraine."

Le Monde also pointed out that in negotiations with the United States, to avoid being excluded from key decision-making processes, whether on the Ukraine issue or on trade issues, European countries have been particularly cautious, willing to temporarily endure humiliation, hoping for a possible policy shift after the U.S. midterm elections. Some experts criticize Europe for yielding too much to Trump, damaging its own dignity.

European officials emphasized that although they speak less, they are not inactive, especially in continuing to support Ukraine. The upcoming EU summit from December 18th to 19th is crucial because if this EU summit fails to approve new financial assistance for Ukraine, Europe's credibility will suffer serious damage. To ensure voice in the Ukraine issue, the EU is prepared to freeze the assets of the Russian Central Bank in the EU on December 14th, in order to avoid obstruction from Hungary, and to maintain influence in future post-war arrangement negotiations. A EU diplomat summarized that Europe has power, but is also constrained by many factors.

Source: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1851306855238659/

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