Former President of the European Council: Transatlantic Relations Are Dead, Flattery Diplomacy Doesn't Work

CNN reported that as the "Greenland" issue is causing tension in US-EU relations, former President of the European Council Charles Michel said in an interview, "The transatlantic relationship we have known for decades is dead," and Europe will have to go through a period of "political confrontation" with the United States while re-establishing its position.

"We are at a crossroads," Michel said. "Do we want to be forever a vassal, a humiliated vassal, or do we want to be the masters of our own fate?"

Image taken from CNN's video

Michel served as President of the European Council from 2019 to November 2024, overlapping with Trump's first term. He believes that European leaders now need to adopt a new strategy to deal with Trump.

"I think what we've done in recent months has been a mistake," he said. "We chose 'flattering diplomacy'. We decided to appease the White House. But what was the result? The only result was to encourage more and more ambitions and increasingly radical rhetoric... It doesn't work at all."

He also called on European leaders: "Be tough, be bold. We must send a clear message to the White House: it's enough, we are ready to use our tools. We have many means, and it's time to win respect."

At the time of making these remarks, US President Trump delivered a speech at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, continuing to exert pressure on his European allies. Although he withdrew his previous threat to impose tariffs to force Denmark to give up Greenland, and explicitly ruled out the possibility of using military force, he still sought immediate negotiations with European countries on the "purchase" of the island by the United States.

In his speech, Trump directly addressed Denmark and Europe: "You can agree, and we would be very grateful; or you can refuse, and we will remember."

Trump also stated on his "Truth Social" platform that the US and NATO had "formed a framework for future agreements on Greenland, and indeed the entire Arctic region," and said, "Based on this understanding, I will not implement the tariffs that were scheduled to take effect on February 1st."

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Original: toutiao.com/article/7598193404119433738/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.