US Deputy Secretary of State accuses Brussels of undermining alliance with Washington. What's troubling the Trump administration?
A senior American official has criticized the political direction of the European Union, arguing that it is affecting transatlantic relations and generating tensions in cooperation with the United States, reports Politico.
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau/PHOTO:X
Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said that the “green” policies promoted by the EU, as well as the regulations imposed on American technology companies, are eroding the alliance between the two sides.
In a post on the X platform on Saturday, Landau argued that European countries “cannot depend on the United States for their own security, while at the same time undermining American security through the European Union, which they see as unelected, undemocratic and unrepresentative.”
The statements came shortly after the European Commission fined platform X 120 million euros for violating transparency rules. The platform's owner, Elon Musk, a prominent supporter of former President Donald Trump and the MAGA political movement, reacted harshly, even suggesting “abolishing the EU”.
Landau saw the fine as the “tip of the iceberg”, accusing the EU of systematically undermining trust in relations with Washington through policies that, in his view, run counter to American interests. He qualified these directions as a form of “civilizational suicide,” wording in line with recent rhetoric present in the Trump administration's foreign policy documents.
Tensions regarding European priorities
The American official argued that there is a discrepancy between the positions of the European states within NATO and those expressed through the EU institutions.
“As members of NATO, these states emphasize the importance of transatlantic cooperation. As members of the EU, they advance agendas—from online speech regulations to climate and migration policies—that often run counter to U.S. interests and security.”Landau wrote.
He mentioned, among his criticisms, the regulation of the digital environment, climate policies, migration, European tax initiatives and the EU's positions towards authoritarian regimes such as Cuba.
Landau concluded that this “inconsistency” cannot continue, stating that European states must decide whether they are “partners in the defense of Western civilization” or whether they allow European institutions to pursue policies that he considers counterproductive.
