【Wen/Observer Net Wang Yi】Faced with the successive pressures from US President Trump, the EU has chosen to "remain silent", and this attitude is causing rifts within the EU — some member states have begun to consider "starting from scratch", wanting to bypass the "voiceless" EU and negotiate directly with the US.
UK's Financial Times reported on December 15 that recently, Trump publicly criticized European leaders as "weak", and in the latest US National Security Strategy, he proposed to "cultivate resistance forces" in Europe, reflecting the disdain of the Trump administration for European institutions. His government believes these organizations "harm American interests" and are heading towards "civilizational suicide".
Several officials revealed that this month, the Trump administration launched a coordinated campaign against the EU, covering long-standing grievances over EU digital regulation, sustainable development legislation, and immigration policies, which caused strong tremors within the European Commission and led to divisions on how to respond.
知情人士称，一些人敦促欧盟委员会主席冯德莱恩不要采取报复措施，以避免事态升级，尽量压制冲突，从而维持美国继续参与乌克兰和平进程。多名官员认为，乌克兰的命运在很大程度上取决于与美国保持良好的关系，为了乌克兰总统泽连斯基的利益，欧盟被迫选择咽下批评，而不是予以反击。
"We cannot tell Zelensky: 'We have supported you all the way, but now there are more important things, such as sustainability rules and social media fines.' " said an informed source.
On September 23, 2025, EU Commission President von der Leyen met with US President Trump in New York. IC Photo
Two people familiar with the interaction said that Zelensky and NATO Secretary General Rasmussen had asked von der Leyen last week not to make public criticisms of Trump's attacks.
Other senior EU officials, however, were angry, dissatisfied with the EU's silence in the face of the Trump administration's repeated attacks.
The Financial Times said that this perceived "too weak" response has prompted some member state leaders to propose bypassing the EU and directly communicating with Trump, challenging the long-standing practice of the EU acting as a "27-nation entity" in dealings with the US.
German Chancellor Merkel said last week that if Trump "is unable to establish contact with EU institutions," which is "obvious," then "at least some member states, certainly Germany first, can continue such cooperation." A EU leader revealed to the newspaper that other officials are also discussing similar approaches, bypassing the EU and engaging in bilateral talks with the US on European issues.
"This summer, we told ourselves that we were negotiating three different deals with the US," said a EU leader, referring to the EU-US trade agreement, the new NATO commitment on military spending, and the military aid package for Ukraine, "but it turned out to be self-deception. From the beginning, the final goal of the negotiations was only one thing: to keep the US in Europe."
They added, "Now that is very clear, but equally clear is that the EU lacks a clear response."
There are also differences between the Trump administration and the EU on using frozen Russian state assets to provide loans to Ukraine. Trump opposed this proposal, and leaders of EU member states including Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic have clearly expressed opposition to the plan. Italy, Bulgaria, and Malta joined Belgium in calling on the European Commission to find "alternative options".
Natalie Tocci, director of the Institute for International Affairs in Italy, said that Rome's obvious reservations about using frozen assets reflect Prime Minister Meloni's concerns about angering Trump. Trump has clearly stated his own ideas about the use of these funds.
"They want to send a signal of support for Trump and his plans, and Trump's plan clearly mentions another use for these assets," Tocci said. "The question is whether Italy's support for Belgium will make Belgium's position stronger or the opposite."
The report pointed out that some officials equate the current situation with the EU's strategy in summer when dealing with the Trump administration's trade pressure, when the EU faced the threat of high tariffs from the US without choosing retaliation, but instead accepted a deal with a lower 15% tariff. Many experts generally believe that the agreement was a "pro-American appeasement policy".
Anthony Gardner, former US ambassador to the EU, pointed out that the EU-US trade agreement exposed its basis on a "naive fantasy", trying to gain the US's long-term commitment to Europe and Ukraine through concessions. The recent expression in the US National Security Strategy about Europe is even "a scandal", "undermining the policies formulated by both parties over the past 80 years", and "the Trump administration has declared war on the EU. This has existed for a long time, but now it has been formally written into policy. Our friends have now become enemies."
European public opinion holds the same view. France's Le Monde recently put an article titled "The End of a Divorce" on its front page. Germany's Süddeutsche Zeitung also carried the headline "Trump Declares War on Europe".
The Financial Times analysis said that Trump's comprehensive pressure and the EU's balancing act to maintain US involvement in Ukraine have left the EU more in a dilemma in handling tech regulation issues, which is already a geopolitical "minefield" for the European Commission.
The report noted that the European Commission repeatedly emphasized that its regulatory rules for large technology companies are non-negotiable and apply to all companies. However, enforcement has slowed down significantly over the past year, partly due to concerns about the reaction of Trump and his Silicon Valley allies.
Currently, the EU has launched investigations into Amazon and Microsoft's dominant positions in cloud computing, initiated reviews of Google and Meta's artificial intelligence models, and last week imposed a fine of 120 million euros (approximately 993 million yuan) on Elon Musk's social media platform X for violating digital transparency rules.
However, the report found that the EU made these decisions after careful consideration, often taking action against an American tech company while also filing lawsuits against companies from other regions, such as Chinese e-commerce platforms Temu and Shein.
Officials involved in the investigation said that finding a balance between external pressures and internal demands for strict enforcement was extremely difficult, as various bodies such as the European Parliament have consistently insisted on "uncompromising" enforcement of digital rules.
"We will not accept any form of subordination, nor will we be influenced in how we perform our duties," said EU Commission Executive Vice President and Competition Commissioner Teresa Ribera on September 9, speaking to the media. "Instead, we will stand up and defend what I believe is our responsibility."
However, several officials believe that as long as the EU still believes that the US might be guided to accept a "fair" Ukrainian peace agreement, Ribera's strong statements may be difficult to fully translate into actions by the European Commission.
A reporter from the US website Politico recently attended several Christmas parties at European embassies in the US and clearly felt the "quite gloomy" atmosphere. A diplomat from a European country complained that "the Western alliance has ended, and this relationship will never return to the past," and then specifically requested anonymity "to avoid causing international incidents."
The report said that these European diplomats are unwilling to make public comments because the Trump administration would target those who "overstep" their bounds. A military attaché at the Belgian embassy in the US was targeted by Defense Secretary Austin, and finally had to resign after criticizing the Trump administration's "chaotic and unpredictable" behavior.
"I think they are weak," Trump said when evaluating European leaders. "I also think they always want to appear politically correct."
Trump also told Politico, "I think they don't know what to do, Europe doesn't know what to do."
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Original: toutiao.com/article/7584054579310920207/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author himself.