BRUSSELS: European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen says that even as “decades-old certainties are crumbling” in Europe’s relations with other countries, there’s no reason to de-risk the bloc’s relationship with the United States.
Von der Leyen has led a shift in the European Union’s (EU) relationship with China that she has described as de-risking but not decoupling from Beijing.
Even with the abrupt and unsettling foreign policy and defence changes under US President Donald Trump, she said the answer is a “clear no” on whether a similar strategy is now needed towards Washington.
“It’s a completely different relationship with the United States than we have with China,” she said at a news conference in Brussels last Sunday.
She added later that the US decision to suspend aid to Ukraine, as well as intelligence sharing, was “a very strong wake-up call” for Europe to boost its defence capabilities.
Von der Leyen said her commission will start to hold regular security meetings to review the various potential threats facing the bloc in areas like defence and energy.
EU leaders are pushing ahead with a security proposal from the European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, that could mobilise as much as €800bil (US$867bil) in additional national spending, including €150bil of EU loa ns to member states for defence investment.
But the bloc now has to find news ways to boost support for Ukraine, with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the EU’s most Russia-friendly leader, refusing to back plans to boost Kyiv’s militarily capabilities.
The new urgency is driven in large part by Trump’s decision to pull back support from Ukraine, along with questions about the US’ long-term commitment to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation military alliance.
Von der Leyen said the new geopolitical realities will also force the bloc to rethink its next long-term budget proposal, which she said will come in mid-summer.
EU leaders have struggled to open clear lines of communication with the Trump administration, but von der Leyen said that she has been able to work with Trump in the past.
She said that she would meet with Trump “when the time is right”. — Bloomberg
