Criticism of European leaders’ behaviour towards Donald Trump is unjustified, according to former Open VLD leader EU Commissioner for Trade Karel De Gucht.
Foreign News
Former Commissioner De Gucht defends European leaders after Trump talks
Political scientists who analysed the talks between European leaders and the US president over the war in Ukraine last week were in agreement: it was political theatre, or “a victory for Putin”.
“Politics is not that straightforward,” said Karel De Gucht, former leader of Flemish liberals Open VLD, and former EU Commissioner for Trade, on Radio 1’s De Ochtend.
Mixed results
If seven European leaders travel to New York to consult with Trump, people hope they will come back with a major solution, he said. “But Macron and co knew they couldn’t count on a major breakthrough. They had to ensure they gained a better understanding of Trump’s thinking and actions, and they succeeded in doing so.”
De Gucht admits that the result was mixed, but he focuses on the achievements.
We did not go to New York to provoke a new Blitzkrieg, but to prevent one
“Trump now realises that Europe cannot be easily fooled. The EU will not simply abandon Ukraine,” he said. “That would be impossible, because it would be the biggest mistake since World War II. We did not go to New York to provoke a new Blitzkrieg, but to prevent one.”
One clear agreement concerns arms deliveries. “The US will supply the weapons, and OK, Europe will have to pay for them, but earlier this year, Trump blocked all arms deliveries that his predecessor Joe Biden had arranged. So that’s progress,” says De Gucht.
With Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, French president Emmanuel Macron, German chancellor Friedrich Merz, Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, British prime minister Keir Starmer, NATO secretary general Mark Rutte and Finnish president Alexander Stubb, there were sensible politicians around the table, De Gucht believes.
“They also understand that you cannot suddenly upset the entire balance with the United States, because you need them for weapons, for intelligence and for information. You cannot wage a modern war without intelligence.”
You shouldn’t dismiss Trump as a halfwit; that’s the most dangerous thing you can do
In that respect, Europe has its back against the wall: “We don’t have those capabilities yet. Significant investments are being made now. What you say today won’t be in place tomorrow, but at least something is being done now. We’ve been talking about these investments for 20 years, and now they're finally happening.”
So should we really flatter Trump to strengthen our position? “That’s also an exaggeration,” says De Gucht.
“And yet you shouldn’t dismiss Trump as a halfwit; that’s the most dangerous thing you can do. He still has his country behind him, and you shouldn’t underestimate that. You have to take that into account.”
Politics and diplomacy are a complex game of balance and nuance, he believes. “We must admit that Europe is indeed good at this and much more present than it was a few years ago.”