Trump slams European leaders as ‘weak’ — just as they’re trying to impress him
U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pose for a picture with European leaders following a meeting in the Oval Office at the White House on August 18, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Win McNamee | Getty Images
While it’s been clear to Europe for some time that U.S. President Donald Trump is not the biggest fan of the region, the president’s latest tirade against the continent’s leadership will sting — particularly as the bloc strives to show more decisiveness and authority.
Trump has once again provoked outrage among his European allies, describing them as “weak” and leading a “decaying” region in an interview with Politico published Tuesday. Criticizing the region’s response to immigration and the war in Ukraine, Trump said: “I think they don’t know what to do.”
That comment will be jarring for Europe after its efforts in recent days, weeks and months to support Ukraine, be it militarily, diplomatically or financially — efforts which Trump has frequently downplayed.
Instead, Europe has had to watch on as U.S. officials have held talks with their Russian and Ukrainian counterparts on a draft peace plan for Ukraine, without a seat at the table. That’s despite the fact that the resolution of the almost four-year war — and what shape that takes — is seen by analysts, and European leaders, as critical for the region’s future security.
Indeed, Trump’s comments came just a day after Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was in London to meet European leaders to discuss joint efforts to end the war. The leaders stressed the need for security guarantees for Ukraine in any peace deal, and expressed their opposition to Ukraine having to cede territory to Russia as part of an agreement, as has been demanded by Russia.
British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer (2L), President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy (L), President of France Emmanuel Macron (2R) and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz (L) outside 10 Downing Street after a meeting in London, United Kingdom on December 08, 2025.
Wiktor Szymanowicz | Future Publishing | Getty Images
Trump has vacillated on the issue, previously suggesting Ukraine would have to give up land and then suggesting Kyiv could win back lost territory.
European leaders this week also discussed the thorny issue of future funding for the country, which is a bugbear for Trump. The leaders said “positive progress” had been made on using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction, although such a move faces hurdles and opposition from some countries in the EU.
Trump appeared unmoved by Europe’s diplomatic efforts, of late. When Politico asked him whether Europe could help end the war, he said: “They talk but they don’t produce. And the war just keeps going on and on.”
Seismic shift in an old alliance
There’s no doubt that Trump has a checkered relationship with Europe and its leaders, appearing to get on well with some — such as the U.K. and Italy’s Prime Ministers Keir Starmer and Giorgia Meloni, and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte— but not so much with others.
Trump has had something of an awkward “frenemy” relationship with French President Emmanuel Macron who he has both praised and criticized, and he has no natural rapport with the serious German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Trump also appears to have a strained relationship with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
U.S. President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron speak during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (not pictured) and European leaders amid negotiations to end the Russian war in Ukraine, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 18, 2025.
Alexander Drago | Reuters
Belittling his political foes is nothing new for Trump, but what’s shocking for Europe is that he appears willing to relinquish longstanding friends and tested alliances that have been in place since World War II.
Europe was already put on notice last week when Trump’s new national security strategy stated that Europe risked “civilizational erasure” within the next 20 years and questioned whether European countries can “remain reliable allies.” In turn, it said Washington should reestablish strategic stability with Russia. The Kremlin praised the new strategy, saying it largely accorded with Russia’s “vision.”
The security strategy signals a seismic shift in U.S.-European relations, analysts say, and should be a wake-up call for Europe.
“Trump’s worldview is clear” in the new U.S. national security document, Ian Bremmer, founder and president of Eurasia Group, commented Tuesday:
“A strong united Europe is a threat, not an asset. The Kremlin calls the document “aligned” with Russian interests. That should make every NATO capital sit up straight,” he said in comments on social media platform X.
Bremmer said the transatlantic relationship had been the world’s strongest up to this point, but that had changed under the Trump administration.
“President Trump believes a strong Europe is not in the U.S.’ interests, particularly a strong, coordinated Europe. He does not like the European Union … His issue is that the EU, together, has the ability to tell Trump things that he doesn’t like to hear,” Bremmer added.
