El Pais: Europe enters “new state of anxiety” amid US security shifts

Europe has entered a “new state of anxiety” amid increasingly clear signs that the United States not only no longer wants to bear the burden of guaranteeing the continent’s security but is also demonstrating hostility toward Europeans in several areas, per the Spanish newspaper El País.

The article recalls Washington’s position on Greenland, the new U.S. national security strategy, and sanctions imposed by the United States on several EU citizens, including former European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton. Regarding the latter measure, a European source told the newspaper that “this is yet another confirmation that Washington sees Europe as a colony and wants to maintain its vassalage.”

“These episodes are examples of U.S. hostility toward Western Europe, unprecedented since the end of World War II,” the newspaper argues. At the same time, according to El País, there remains a broad consensus within the American political and military establishment about the strategic importance of maintaining strong security ties with Europe.

Nevertheless, El País highlights Europe’s heavy dependence on the United States for security. EU countries are investing a significant sum in defence—approximately €380 billion in 2025—but the newspaper considers this figure an illusion that does not translate into a truly autonomous deterrent capability.

By Khagan Isayev