Kathrine Frich
Wait too long, the professor warns, and the alliance could crumble from within.
When long-standing friendships start to fray, polite smiles only work for so long.
For decades, leaders on both sides of the Atlantic assumed they were playing on the same team, even when they argued over the rules.
Now, one prominent expert says the old playbook is dead, and keeping quiet could cost a whole continent its safety.
Flattery fails in Washington
European leaders spent early 2025 trying to charm Donald Trump with praise, according to an analysis by Georgetown University associate professor Anders Åslund published in the Kyiv Post and reported by Ziare.com.
Figures like NATO chief Mark Rutte and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni hoped a warm approach would win him over. It did not work.
Instead, Åslund argues, concessions only pushed the American president to make tougher demands while openly backing Vladimir Putin. Early on, Trump halted US weapons and funding for Ukraine, and later cut back Kyiv’s intelligence access.
After Trump invited Putin to Alaska in August 2025, European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky flew to Washington for quiet talks, but they walked away without security guarantees.
To handle Washington now, Åslund points to advice from former Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland in her book “Unreliable Boyfriend”. Based on her own dealings, she wrote: “Don’t start an argument, but don’t back down from one either.”
Money, meddling, and defence
Wait too long, the researcher warns, and the alliance could crumble from within. According to the Kyiv Post piece cited by Ziare.com, the US State Department plans to fund far-right groups in France and Poland, following vocal support for Germany’s AfD from JD Vance and Elon Musk.
At the same time, Åslund claims Trump envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have discussed deals involving Russian energy assets like Lukoil and Nord Stream 2.
So how does Europe fight back? Look at Greenland, Åslund suggests. In September 2025, Denmark protected its interests there by acting fast, standing united with allies, and showing readiness to defend the territory.
Now, the Stockholm Free World Forum researcher says Europe and Canada must overhaul NATO to rely far less on US troops and spy satellites.
He urges the EU to ban foreign funding for political parties and tap $200 billion in frozen Russian funds at Brussels clearing house Euroclear to back Ukraine before France votes in April 2027.
