European officials agreed on one thing in the hours after U.S. President Donald Trump pulled back from the brink over Greenland: The continent’s economy and defenses must stand on their own, fast.
But when it came to opinions on how to do that, and how strongly to confront the U.S. in the future, that unity dissolved.
The head-spinning events of the past week have underscored the European Union’s vulnerabilities to U.S. aggression. Trump’s threats to take Greenland and pile tariffs on those opposing him showed his willingness to defy Europe at any moment, even if it upends a global order that has kept western allies mostly safe for decades.