(CN) — “Europe’s nightmare.”
That’s how the Economist magazine on Thursday summarized the past week, which saw U.S. President Donald Trump upend the transatlantic alliance with his stunning moves to normalize relations with Russia and force Ukraine into ending the war by surrendering territory to Moscow.
“The past week has been the bleakest in Europe since the fall of the Iron Curtain,” the Economist wrote. “Ukraine is being sold out, Russia is being rehabilitated and, under Donald Trump, America can no longer be counted on to come to Europe’s aid in wartime.”
Panic is spreading across Europe as policymakers, experts and leaders face the possibility that the NATO alliance is collapsing in front of their eyes and that Washington and Moscow are attempting to carve up the world and create spheres of influence between themselves without consideration of the European Union’s interests. The EU and Ukraine were not invited to participate in the negotiations between Moscow and Washington to end the Ukraine war.
By Thursday, those dire misgivings were reinforced after Trump called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a “dictator” for not holding elections. He also blamed Zelenskyy for the outbreak of war, claiming he could have prevented the conflict by striking a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
It appears Trump is eager to get rid of Zelenskyy, who has tried to build up European resistance to Trump’s sledgehammer tactics by calling on the EU to send peacekeeping troops to Ukraine and to create a Europe-wide army with Ukrainian forces at its core.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron are considering stationing troops in Ukraine if a ceasefire is reached, but other European leaders remain hesitant. Moscow has warned it would not accept the presence of European soldiers in Ukraine. Starmer and Macron are expected to visit Trump next week.
Zelenskyy angered Trump by saying he “lives in this disinformation space,” a suggestion that Trump was parroting Russian propaganda about the war.
In retaliation, Trump’s allies cast aspersions on Zelenskyy, with Elon Musk accusing him of allowing an American pro-Russian blogger and journalist, Gonzalo Lira, to die in a Ukrainian prison.
The fast-paced and disorienting events of the past week seem set to continue as American and Russian officials say they are laying the groundwork for a summit between Trump and Putin.
Without consulting allies in Europe, Trump said last week that he spoke by telephone with Putin, an announcement that kick-started the chain of events that plunged the NATO alliance into confusion and doubt.
Relations reached rock bottom last Friday when U.S. Vice President JD Vance delivered a withering attack on the EU at the Munich Security Conference.
Vance accused European leaders of betraying democratic values by refusing to allow far-right nationalist parties into government and for seeking to curtail the spread of far-right viewpoints, which he called censorship. He also called it deeply undemocratic to annul recent presidential elections in Romania over allegations that they were compromised by Russian interference. A far-right pro-Russian candidate was on track to win the elections before the results were canceled.
Also last week, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth deeply troubled Europeans with suggestions the U.S. might pull troops out of Europe because Washington does not view the security of Europe as a crucial concern.
There is speculation Trump may seek to draw down forces in Europe as part of a bigger deal with Putin to reorder the security framework in Europe and forge a new world order.
On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio set in motion the reset with Russia by meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Saudi Arabia for talks. In a first step toward reestablishing ties, Washington and Moscow agreed to allow the restaffing of embassies.
In a statement, Russia’s foreign ministry said the two “sides agreed to establish a dialogue to identify ways to resume cooperation in the economy, including energy, outer space exploration, and other areas of mutual interest.”
It added that both sides wanted to see the Ukraine war come to an end, but the Kremlin said it emphasized the “importance of eliminating the root causes of the conflict.” Moscow insists that it cannot allow Ukraine to become a NATO member and demands the removal of NATO forces and weapons from its borders.
There is deep distrust in Europe about Trump’s intentions, with many commentators and leaders saying it is high time for Europe to build up its own military forces and stop relying on U.S. might for its security.
“It’s a bit premature to talk about the death of NATO,” said Samantha de Bendern, a Russia expert with Chatham House, a London-based think tank. “It certainly seems to be weakened.”
She made her comments during a debate on France 24 entitled, “The death of Nato? Europe in crisis over Trump-Putin talks.”
Across Europe, the same question was being asked on television shows and in newspaper columns as Europeans contemplated whether the U.S. could still be considered an ally.
Courthouse News reporter Cain Burdeau is based in the European Union.