EU leader says Trump is trying to divide the bloc

The hegemonic stance and imperialist-biased guidelines of Donald Trump’s administration have led the European Union to a blunt conclusion: Washington adopts a deliberate strategy to fragment the bloc’s unity. The statement was made by Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, who, in an interview with the newspaper Financial Times published this Friday (13), compared US tactics to those of historical opponents of European integration — such as Russia and China. According to the diplomat, the North American government deliberately seeks to weaken the cohesion of the continent to impose bilateral interests and obtain advantages over isolated nations.

Unity as a defense strategy

According to Kallas, the questioning of US military support and pressure on the sovereignty of territories such as Greenland and the Arctic are clear signs of an attempt to isolate member states. “Our response should not be ‘Oh, let’s deal with [Trump] bilaterally’, but rather… ‘Let’s deal with them together'”, declared the head of diplomacy. The vice-president of the European Commission emphasized that the bloc’s strength lies in its integrity: “They don’t like us being together because we are equal powers when we are united”.

Structural changes and military autonomy

For the diplomat, the current distance is not merely cyclical, but rather a “structural change” caused by Washington’s repositioning. In previous interventions at the European Defense Agency, Kallas had already warned that Europe is no longer the central priority of North American foreign policy. Faced with this scenario of unilateralism, the leader argues that “NATO must become more European”, reiterating the urgent need for the continent to expand its strategic autonomy and its investments in defense to reduce technological and military dependence on the USA.

Pressure on NATO and sovereignty

Tension escalated after White House documents suggested conditions on NATO’s Article 5 (mutual defense) and increased pressure for European allies to assume higher financial costs under penalty of abandonment. Kallas reinforced that the attempt to treat European countries individually aims to disrupt the single market and the Union’s geopolitical influence. The official guidance of European diplomacy, as communicated by the High Representative’s office, maintains that only a joint stance can guarantee the bloc’s sovereignty in the face of the Trump administration’s new demands and pressure tactics.