U.S. President Donald Trump (R) listens as NATO Secretary Basic Mark Rutte speaks throughout a bilateral assembly on the sidelines of the World Financial Discussion board (WEF) Annual Assembly on Jan. 21, 2026 in Davos, Switzerland.
Chip Somodevilla | Getty Photos
Europe and U.S. relations are dealing with their “lowest second” since NATO got here into being, former European Fee President Jose Manuel Barroso stated, as Washington’s disruptive method to diplomacy forces allies to reexamine the transatlantic relationship.
“There are some doubts concerning the relationship with the US,” Barroso, additionally former prime minister of Portugal, stated in an interview with CNBC’s “The China Connection” on Monday, pointing to a lack of belief that extends past the European Union to incorporate the U.Okay.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s goal to amass Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, together with threats of potential army motion and better tariffs on European nations, has shaken confidence within the U.S. amongst European leaders and the general public.
The connection between Europe and the U.S. has grow to be more and more pushed by pursuits, shifting away from the standard mannequin of being based mostly on shared “democratic values,” Barroso stated, describing the second as a “rupture section” wherein it stays unclear “the place we’re going from now.”
Whereas Trump pulled again from a maximalist place, ruling out using army power and retreating from his risk of imposing tariffs on European nations aimed toward pressuring them to assist the U.S. purchase the island, he’s sticking along with his goal of exerting management on the Arctic territory.
In a social media submit final week after a gathering with NATO Secretary Basic Mark Rutte, Trump stated there’s “the framework of a future deal” on Greenland, with out disclosing any particulars or whether or not Denmark had agreed to a deal. Rutte later stated the difficulty of Greenland’s possession didn’t come up in his talks with Trump.
Barroso described Trump as “the good disruptor” who is usually “extra robust with allies and buddies, than with opponents.”
Solely 16% of Europeans view the U.S. as an ally that shares the identical values, down from 21% in 2024, with a “placing” 20% seeing the U.S. as a rival or an enemy, in keeping with a survey performed in November by the European Council on International Relations, a global suppose tank.
That collapse of belief was stark within the U.Okay. which noticed the share drop to 25%, from 37% a yr earlier.
On protection, European leaders have additionally accelerated efforts towards “European sovereignty,” Barroso stated, because the Trump administration has piled on stress over the bloc’s protection spending.
“If you wish to hold NATO, it is going to be a extra Europeanized NATO,” Barroso stated, including that Europe shouldn’t rely solely on the People, however prioritize strengthening its personal protection.
On the NATO Summit in The Hague final yr, member states pledged to speculate the equal of 5% of their financial output on protection and safety spending by 2035, following months of stress from Washington.
Barroso stated that NATO was stronger than earlier than Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, pointing to Sweden and Finland becoming a member of the bloc and that the alliance is now operationally nearer to Russia border. NATO has elevated its army presence alongside its japanese flank following Moscow’s invasion in Ukraine.
Whereas sounding pessimistic concerning the present state of Europe-U.S. relations, Barroso cautioned towards calling it the top of the transatlantic alliance, saying the U.S. stays essential to Europe’s safety.
