Despite what has happened in the last decade, it is still very shocking to hear a high-ranking European official speak in certain terms about the world's first economic, military, and nuclear power. "The United States, of course, is a close ally, an important economic player, and a friendly country. Our priority is to stabilize our relationship. What we have been doing over the past month is precisely trying to stabilize our relationship within the framework of NATO, in trade, and also in support of Ukraine," said the President of the European Council, António Costa, on Monday. But the fact that two historical allies have to present their ties in a language and framework of reconstruction, of minimums, says a lot about the state of international relations.
Speaking with a group of journalists in New York, where he is attending the United Nations General Assembly, Costa began by pointing out that the world is going through an especially critical phase and therefore "it is essential that the European Union comes here with a very clear message. Our first message is that we need, more than ever, a strong multilateral system and to protect our rules-based international order because we have no real alternative to this rules-based international order and multilateral system. The only alternative is war. And that is what we are seeing in Gaza, Ukraine, or Sudan. More than ever, we need to strengthen our multilateral system, and the support of the United Nations is essential," he stated.
The problem is that right now the biggest disruptor seems to be Washington. This is increasingly believed by more and more governments and global surveys. From one end of the world to the other. Donald Trump does not believe in that international framework or in an order based on rules, but in strength. He believes that the last decades have been negative, terrible, for his country. And that his so-called allies are freeloaders who have taken advantage of his strength and nobility and now must pay. Literally.
Costa tries to play down the situation, aware as he said at the beginning that there is no alternative. "The 27 are united in the relationship with the US. If we go back a few months, to January for example, many people were worried about the exit from NATO and since then the allies have agreed to spend more, and the US has reaffirmed its commitment. Many were concerned about the possibility of the United States abandoning Ukraine but it continues to support it and is committed to security guarantees in the future through the Coalition of the Willing. And Trump is engaging with Russia," he added.
"There was fear of a huge trade war, and we have an agreement that gives us stability for all economic agents, and we have avoided further tariffs on our consumers. In these three matters, we have stabilized relations with the US. If you ask me if everything is fixed, no, of course not. There will always be problems in international relations, that's normal. But in these three matters, we have stabilized them," he asserts.
That view is very generous considering what has happened. None of the three aspects are resolved, far from it. While Russian jets and drones provoke in Polish and Baltic airspace, the Pentagon has sent messages of distancing, and the President himself has ignored the issue, merely stating that he is disappointed with Putin, that perhaps those violations were a "simple mistake," and that things need to change.
The tariffs are not resolved because every week there is a new development, a new threat, for example, due to fines on US tech companies in Brussels or digital rules. But Costa, the voice of the European Council representing the 27 leaders, focuses on the positive.
One of the points where the discrepancy on both sides of the Atlantic is clear is the Middle East. The EU remains divided, and not all countries recognize the Palestinian State, but Brussels has been calling for a ceasefire and an end to the killings in Gaza for over a year.
"We all recognize Israel's right to self-defense, even beyond its borders, but it is clear that what is happening goes beyond that," Costa pointed out. "Most EU Member States already recognize Palestine as an independent state. And we are all particularly shocked by the images coming from Gaza, but we cannot forget what is happening now in West Bank and the development of illegal settlements there. Our stance, from the beginning, has been very clear. We strongly condemn the terrorist attacks by Hamas and recognize the legitimate defense right of Israel, even beyond its borders, but it is now evident that what is happening goes beyond that right. It is time for a ceasefire, to stop the destruction in Gaza, to stop the loss of human lives, and to create space for an effective two-state solution because this is the only solution that can bring stability and lasting peace to the region."
Costa has reiterated several times how the EU is one of the main donors to the Palestinian Authority, as well as to the UN. "Reaching a common declaration among 27 Member States with such different histories, cultures, and positions on the issues in the Middle East is crucial. It took us a long time, but we managed to achieve a common declaration. Secondly, the European Commission presented a proposal last week to impose sanctions on two members of the Israeli government and suspend the trade agreement with Israel. This proposal is being analyzed by the different Member States, and the next Foreign Affairs Council will make a decision on it... The European Union has been very clear in condemning the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, stating that Israel cannot continue to attack the civilian population, that Israel cannot continue to destroy civilian facilities such as hospitals, and stating that we must stop this war and create real conditions for a two-state solution. We are the main source of funding for the Palestinian Authority. If schools and hospitals are functioning, it is because the European Union finances all this; we cannot undermine it," he concluded.