For the first time since January, after months spent revering and thanking Donald Trump and his administration for everything they did and said against the European Union, the EU leaders are responding in kind."If we are allies, we must act as allies, and allies do not threaten to interfere in the internal political life of allies, they respect it," said Antonio Costa at the annual conference of the Delors Institute in Paris."We cannot accept this threat of interference in the political life of Europe." The President of the European Council used unusually harsh tones, underlining that Washington and Brussels no longer"share the same vision of the international order."
"The United States cannot replace Europe on our vision of freedom of expression," the former Portuguese prime minister continued, referring to the attacks he received on the White House document establishing the new US strategic doctrine and the dispute with Elon Musk that has escalated in recent hours."Our history tells us that there is no freedom of expression without freedom of information, which requires pluralism. There is no freedom of expression if freedom of information is sacrificed to defend the US techno-oligarchs. We must be clear on this. Because there must be no misunderstandings between partners and friends. The United States remains an important partner, but our Europe must be sovereign on this."
“If we no longer take responsibility for defense, there will no longer be an alliance with the United States,” Costa continued. “Vice President J.D. Vance’s speech in Munich (where on February 14, he urged Europe to take greater responsibility for its own security, stating that the United States cannot always be the guarantor) and President Trump’s numerous tweets are now officially US doctrine. We must acknowledge this and act accordingly. What does this mean? It means we need more than just new energy. We must focus on building a Europe that understands that the relationships between post-war allies and alliances have changed.”
"When Moscow says it largely agrees with the US strategic document, we have to ask ourselves," the EU Council President continued."And it's understandable why Moscow supports it. Because in Ukraine, the aim isn't a just and lasting peace, but rather a cessation of hostilities to establish stable relations with Russia. We had found that before 2014, but then we began to have doubts with the seizure of Crimea, and after 2022, Russia became a threat to our security."
In this context in which relations with the United States have become more problematic than in the past,"If we don't make a trade agreement with Mercosur, we will be alone in the world," added Costa, who will meet today in Brussels with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen."The EU will not exist in the world if it is not a trading power and capable of making agreements."
