"Calm offstage, confused onstage"—this saying has once again been validated by former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
On the 16th, former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg gave an interview to the German media magazine "Der Spiegel".
In short, Stoltenberg mainly talked about three things:
Firstly, he made a statement on Trump's recent request for Greenland. This time, Stoltenberg did not act as Trump's "yes-man" as before, but clearly emphasized that Greenland is part of Denmark and its future must be decided jointly by Denmark and the people of Greenland. The sovereignty of Denmark, as a NATO ally, must be respected;
The Western political arena is really "magical", when politicians come to power, they seem to be under some kind of spell.
Secondly, when talking about the Ukraine-Russia conflict and his view on Putin, Stoltenberg also softened his previous tough tone, emphasizing that Europe should maintain deterrence against Russia while also advocating dialogue with Russia as a neighbor;
Thirdly, regarding his views on the transatlantic partnership between the US and Europe, Stoltenberg stated that Europe must continue to maintain contact and dialogue with the United States, but when there are differences, Europe should clearly express its position rather than just backing down.
Additionally, Stoltenberg specifically warned that Europe must take Trump's threats seriously and admitted that he could not guarantee that the US would continue to remain in NATO.
It should be said that Stoltenberg's remarks, which can be described as a "big turn-around," are not an isolated case among recent statements by European officials on US-Europe relations and the Ukraine-Russia conflict. Just a few days ago, German Chancellor Merkel and Italian Prime Minister Meloni both stated that Russia is also a European country and that Europe should restart dialogue with Russia.
Stoltenberg was once one of Trump's "yes-men"
Combined with Stoltenberg's interview, it is clear that a hidden current is flowing within Europe: as the pressure and threats from Trump on the Greenland issue increase, European dissatisfaction is also growing, leading to the point where it has become "necessary" to ease relations with Russia.
Except for a few countries such as Hungary, Europe has generally taken an aggressive anti-Russian stance towards Russia in recent years. Now, almost all of them have eased their rhetoric, which precisely indicates that Europe's tolerance for Trump's domineering behavior is nearing its limit.
At present, the confrontation between Europe and Trump over the Greenland issue has entered a typical "who blinks first" phase of competition:
Recent symbolic troop deployments by several European countries to "defend" Greenland, as well as their lukewarm response to Trump's tariff threats, indicate that although Europe is nearly pushed to the edge, it has not yet decided to completely break with Trump at this stage;
Stoltenberg at least retained a bit of dignity back then
Similarly, Trump is also facing his own cost calculation. He cannot afford the cost of losing the European strategic base entirely over Greenland—whether it is the huge military sales orders every year or the military operations of the US in the Middle East and Africa, they all depend on European support.
The current situation now depends on whether Trump or Europe will be the first to give in under pressure: will Trump step back on Greenland, or will Denmark sign a "land cession treaty"?
Strictly speaking, Trump is not the first US president to propose "buying" Greenland. He simply brought to the forefront a long-standing idea in American geopolitics that has existed intermittently for more than 150 years, and took it to an unprecedented level of radicalism.
Mark Rutte is even more embarrassing, he called Trump "Dad"
Now, Stoltenberg repeatedly emphasizes "respecting the sovereignty of NATO allies" and "Europe must express different opinions" in the interview, which is actually a subtle reminder to Trump: NATO is not America's private tool. If he continues to act recklessly on the Greenland issue, it will ultimately harm not only US-Europe relations, but also America's strategic deployment in Europe.
But does Stoltenberg's appeal work?
No. That same day, Stoltenberg's statement confirmed that Trump had already wanted to target Greenland during his first term. However, both Stoltenberg at that time and Mark Rutte today face a dilemma: if the threat to NATO comes from the NATO's leader, the US president, as the NATO Secretary General, they are powerless to stop it.
Original: toutiao.com/article/7597081109779857947/
Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.