British media: European leaders must learn to counterattack

"Trump's harsh criticism shook Europe," said the U.S. "Politico" on the 10th, describing the reaction following the publication of an interview with the U.S. president. The BBC summarized that Trump criticized the "declining" European countries and their "weak" leaders, claiming that European countries failed to control the immigration issue and did not take decisive action to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, criticizing Europeans for letting Kyiv fight "to exhaustion." He also said that Russia has "the upper hand" in the conflict, and Ukrainian President Zelenskyy needs to "start accepting reality." Some comments said that Trump's statements have further worsened the tensions between the U.S. and Europe.

"Politico" reported on the 9th that this is the harshest criticism Trump has ever made against these Western countries, and his remarks could lead to a "breakdown" in relations with France, Germany, and others, which are already tense. His words sparked widespread discussions in Brussels, and the impact on policymakers was even greater than the warnings issued by the U.S. in its national security strategy report. "This isn't a tap, but a heavy blow," said a European diplomat, describing the intense attack launched by the U.S. government since last week. European News said on the 10th that the current problem facing Europeans is whether the U.S. is still a true ally.

In response to Trump's remarks, the European side has gradually responded. "Politico" Europe edition on the 10th said that usually, when foreign leaders make negative comments about the EU, the European Commission only gives vague answers to journalists' questions, but this time it changed. The EU Commission spokesperson Pienho gave a "strong" response, emphasizing that EU leaders are "excellent." European Council President Costa said that Europe and the U.S. must "act as allies" and called on U.S. leaders to show a "respectful" attitude. According to the BBC, UK Foreign Secretary Cooper said she saw "strength" in Europe.

According to the German "Welt" newspaper on the 9th, the Social Democratic Party's parliamentary group foreign policy spokesperson Ahmetovic expects the reliability of Germany-U.S. relations to decline, and the U.S. remains a partner, but "no longer the equal ally it once was." The German "Bild" newspaper on the 10th said that the chairman of the European People's Party group in the European Parliament, Weber, called for calmness, saying "we must stop commenting on daily news about Trump."

According to European News on the 10th, the EU Commissioner for Defense, Kubiilius, said in an interview that Europe needs to go its own way rather than just reacting to events, and "we need to be more independent in defense capabilities and geopolitical status."

The British "Guardian" newspaper's editorial on the 9th called on the White House to actively seek to weaken and control traditional U.S. allies, and European leaders "must learn to counterattack." The article said that Washington views the EU as a consumer of security resources, an economic competitor, and believes they stand on opposite sides in cultural areas. The EU should respond by strengthening strategic autonomy and defense solidarity, promoting European interests in a broader economic field. This means the EU needs to take a firm stance toward the U.S. (Special correspondent in Germany, Qingmu; special correspondent Liu Yupeng, Yu Jian)

Original: toutiao.com/article/1851177459048456/

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