The lengthy monologue delivered by Donald Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on January 21 only confirmed what was already clear: The US president’s contempt and aggression toward the European Union are being expressed with increasing brazenness, fundamentally undermining the transatlantic relationship. In the face of threats, blackmail, insults and attempts at territorial predation, the strategy pursued by the EU’s 27 member states to influence the former real estate developer has shown its limits. After decades of the comfort of dependence on American power, Europe is undergoing a rough awakening.
The relations built since World War II are deep, multifaceted and politically binding. From defense to technology, and from finance to energy, Europe is realizing that its alliance with the United States is not a given and, above all, that it comes at a cost.
A clear-eyed understanding of the extent of this dependence is essential before even contemplating emancipation. That process promises to be lengthy, laborious, highly destabilizing, yet crucial in terms of sovereignty. It is not realistic to simply walk away from the American security guarantee overnight or ignore the economic interdependence that binds both sides of the Atlantic. The urgent need is to redefine Europe’s approach to a relationship that has become asymmetrical, unstable and toxic.
The dependence on the US is all the more difficult to challenge because it stems from deliberate political choices, such as chronic underinvestment in defense in favor of our prosperity. It is also tied to Europe’s inability to complete economic integration and move past national interest. Hoping for a return to the prior status quo of a reliable and friendly US will only delay painful decisions. Trump is not a historical accident, but a marker of a new era.
Internal divisions
To withstand the attacks of Trumpism, the EU needs collective credibility, something that remains to be built. The bloc has created tools for commercial retaliation, anti-coercion mechanisms and legislation to protect its social model. It must not hesitate to use these instruments to secure a more balanced power relationship. Europe has the means: In many areas, the dependencies are mutual, and the US would also stand to lose from a sudden rupture.
At the European Parliament in Strasbourg, on January 21, 2026. FREDERICK FLORIN / AFP
European strategic autonomy cannot be just a slogan. The 2024 Draghi report on European competitiveness outlined the roadmap: massive investment in joint military capabilities, securing critical supply chains, building technological and energy sovereignty, forging alternative trade partnerships and bringing funding capabilities back to Europe. Progress on these fronts has been too slow, and the EU has struggled to speak with one voice.
Washington has understood this well, using internal divisions as a lever of influence on the continent. The US National Security Strategy, published in early December 2025, laid this out plainly. If member states continue to prioritize bilateral relationships with the US over the common interest, emancipation will have to be achieved through coalitions of willing countries in critical areas. Europe’s awakening will also depend on institutional creativity.
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.