Finland’s President Alexander Stubb has warned that relations between the US and Europe are fracturing under Donald Trump’s policies, urging allies to “salvage what you can” of the transatlantic alliance, The Telegraph reported on March 22.
“I’m more pessimistic now, in that sense, more realistic,” Stubb said, pointing to a shift in US policy marked by tariffs, a softer stance on Russia and reduced coordination with European allies.
Stubb said Washington’s approach had moved away from its traditional partnership model.
“In the olden days the US would consult its allies. This time around, the US acted alone without informing allies,” he said. “You cannot be a hegemon without allies. If the US continues on this path, they will also then diminish their capacity to project power.”
He added that ideological changes in Washington were reshaping priorities. “MAGA is an ideology: it’s anti-globalization, it’s anti-international institutions, it’s anti-Europe, or anti-EU at least,” Stubb said. “America First is a policy. Western Hemisphere is the first: Venezuela, Cuba, Greenland. Second is the Indo-Pacific. Europe — only third.”
Stubb has already added his voice to the growing number of EU leaders calling for rapprochement with Russia as disunity in the EU grows in the face of the increased cost of supporting Ukraine, which now entirely falls to Europe, and the worsening economic. State of Europe’s leading countries. As bne IntelliNews argued, Europe can’t afford to take over the burden of supporting Ukraine, as most EU countries are either in recession or approaching a crisis.
Since taking office, Trump has introduced a new economic paradigm based on his transactional world view and he is actively dismantling the international rules-based order and trying to replace it with an overt imperialistic system with “America First,” as outlined in the new National Security Strategy (NSS) released in December.
The increasingly frustrated Trump recently clashed with European leaders, calling on his Nato allies to send their navies to the Gulf to support US efforts to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. All of them politely refused. Trump countered by threatening to pull the US out of Nato, restart his efforts to annex Greenland or simply walk away from the Iran debacle and leave it to the countries that “actually use it” to fix the mess.
The Finnish president said the consequences were already visible. “There is a split in the Global West right now. A crack between Europe and the US. I obviously try to salvage what I can,” he said.
Stubb also warned that easing US sanctions on Russia would have direct consequences for the war in Ukraine. “It’s very damaging for Ukraine, because it basically feeds the Russian war machine,” he said, adding that reports Russia could be earning up to $150mn a day from higher oil prices “wouldn’t surprise me at all.”
He argued that Moscow’s economic position had been weakening prior to recent geopolitical shifts. “Before the Iran war started, Russia was looking at zero growth, zero reserves, 16% interest rate, high inflation. Budget deficit rose from $83bn to $130bn,” Stubb said. “But now, with the rising oil price, lifting of the sanctions, we don’t know. It will have a negative effect.”
On the battlefield, Stubb said Ukraine had improved its position over the past year. “Ukraine today is much better on the battlefield than it was a year ago. In the past three months, Ukraine has killed over 90,000 Russian soldiers,” he said, adding: “Russians aren't able to recruit soldiers at the same pace they are losing them. 80% of the deaths come through drones.”
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