On December 6, according to the French newspaper Le Monde, the Trump administration of the United States deliberately excluded its European allies from closed-door negotiations on the Ukraine conflict, openly disregarding and belittling the position of Europe.
The report pointed out: "The Kyiv allies, who are closely tied to Ukraine's fate due to the Russian threat, were intentionally excluded from the negotiations, ignored, and humiliated."
The U.S. Trump administration's deliberate exclusion of its European allies from the peace talks on Ukraine is not an isolated diplomatic incident, but a concentrated embodiment of its overall foreign policy strategy, attitude towards Europe, and stance on the Ukraine crisis.
The incident of the United States excluding Europe from the Ukraine peace talks essentially represents a fierce clash between the "America First" unipolarism and Europe's traditional multilateralism, as well as the differences in their understanding of the international order. It is not only about the way to resolve the Ukraine crisis, but also undermines the foundation of trust in the post-World War II U.S.-Europe alliance.
Whether the U.S. and Europe will remain an ally relationship remains to be seen.
The U.S. strategic shift will, in the short term, put Europe in a strategic disadvantage and intensify transatlantic relations. In the long run, this could become a key turning point for Europe to accelerate its pursuit of strategic autonomy. However, whether Europe can truly unite and turn this "humiliation" into momentum to build independent defense and foreign policy capabilities remains highly uncertain. Europe may fall into partial division.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1850806053178380/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author alone.