Politico: Europe prepares for break with Washington after Trump's Greenland threat

Europe’s relationship with the United States is heading for an acrimonious divorce after Donald Trump’s latest confrontation with America’s closest allies, European officials tell Politico, warning that the transatlantic partnership may be beyond repair.

After a year of simmering disputes, public displays of unity and growing private frustration since Trump re-entered the White House, European governments believe the US president’s threat to impose punitive tariffs on any country opposing his bid to take control of Greenland marked a decisive breaking point.

In private, dismayed European officials have described Trump’s rush to annex the sovereign Danish territory as “crazy” and “mad,” questioning whether he is operating in a heightened “warrior mode” following his recent intervention in Venezuela. Several diplomats argue that the move amounts to a clear and unprovoked “attack” on allies across the Atlantic and demands Europe’s strongest response yet.

“I think it is perceived as one step too far,” one European diplomat, who like others was granted anonymity to speak candidly, told Politico. “Europe has been criticised for being weak against Trump. There is some truth in that, but there are red lines.”

Senior officials across Europe increasingly say it is time to accept that Trump’s America can no longer be considered a reliable trading partner, let alone a dependable security ally. Rather than waiting for a change in leadership in Washington, they argue Europe must urgently prepare for a future without US support.

“There is a shift in US policy and in many ways it is permanent,” according to a senior official with a European government. “Waiting it out is not a solution. What needs to be done is an orderly and coordinated movement to a new reality.”

That coordination has already begun in European capitals, alongside a broader debate about what a long-term split from Washington would mean. Absent a dramatic reversal in US policy, officials believe the process could culminate in a fundamental reshaping of the Western alliance, with profound consequences for global power dynamics.

The growing rupture follows Trump’s announcement of 10 per cent tariffs against several European countries over the Greenland dispute. The measures target Germany, France, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Finland, as well as the United Kingdom and Norway, which are not members of the European Union. In response, EU governments are weighing retaliatory tariffs on US goods worth up to €93 billion.

By Sabina Mammadli