In the new US security strategy, Washington does not skimp on criticism of Europe. At the same time, the Americans believe that peace in Ukraine can prevent Russia from making further conquests.
Dec 7, 2025, 6:12 amDec 7, 2025, 6:12 am
Kurt Pelda / ch media
Negotiations between the US and Russia on a peace solution for Ukraine appear to be deadlocked. However, recent history has shown that US chief negotiator Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law Kushner are willing to sacrifice Ukraine on the altar of US economic interests. So it is still not clear whether Trump will make a “deal” with Putin and ultimately try to force Ukraine into an unfavorable dictated peace.
A Swedish soldier carries the NATO flag.Image: www.imago-images.de
Whatever such a “solution” might look like: Europe has an eminent interest in it, but is not directly involved in the talks. How does Trump see the future relationship between the USA and Europe? In a 29-page paper, his staff outlined America’s current security strategy. Even if some things remain vague, the document should give European politicians something to think about.
“Europe’s civilization is threatened with extinction”
According to the strategy paper, the USA sees itself in the role of enabling “stability” between Europe and Russia. This also includes preventing the risk of war between Russia and European states. The choice of words is interesting: NATO does not figure at all in this consideration, and just as the USA does not promise to come to Europe’s aid in the event of a Russian attack.
However, in the same paper it sounds completely different when it comes to Chinese claims on Taiwan. According to the strategy, preventing a war over Taiwan – primarily through US military superiority – is a priority for Washington. And that’s not all: Trump wants to counter possible Chinese attacks on the island chain, which stretches from Japan via Taiwan and the Philippines all the way to the south of the South China Sea.
Europe, on the other hand, can no longer explicitly count on an American protective shield. The old continent remains strategically and culturally vital for the United States, it goes on to say. But at the same time, Europe is abolishing itself – not only because the continent’s share of global economic output has fallen from 25 percent to 14 percent in the last 35 years, but above all because European civilization is threatened with “extinction.” According to the strategy paper, it is not Russia or China that are responsible for this, but rather the EU itself.
This is how European migration policy is changing the continent and promoting unrest. If current developments continue, Europe will become unrecognizable within 20 years or less. In the long term, it is more than plausible that within a few decades at the latest, the population of some NATO states will consist mostly of non-Europeans. These countries could prove to be unreliable allies of the USA in the future. It is therefore not Washington that is responsible for the fact that NATO increasingly only exists on paper, but immigration to Europe.
Governments against democracy?
The Americans – not entirely wrongly – see the lack of self-confidence towards Russia as one of the biggest weaknesses of the old continent. Europe is vastly superior to Russia militarily – except when it comes to nuclear weapons. The USA wanted a strong Europe and, together with the Europeans, they wanted to prevent a hostile country from dominating the old continent. However, the US security strategy sees the Europeans themselves as having a duty to arm their armies in such a way that Russia is deterred from an attack.
In this context, Washington’s strong interest in peace in Ukraine seems contradictory. A peace treaty based on Russian ideas would not appease Moscow, but would rather encourage further military campaigns in Europe. Americans believe – contrary to all historical evidence – that peace is necessary to stabilize European economies and prevent war from spreading.
When it comes to the war in Ukraine, Europeans also have unrealistic expectations. A large majority of Europeans want peace, but this desire is not reflected in politics because European governments undermine democratic processes. The last sentence could also come from the mouths of Kremlin representatives.
Distorted ideas
The isolationist tendencies of the Trump administration are also strongly manifested in ideas about the future shape of the “Western Hemisphere”. This includes the American continent from Alaska to Cape Horn in Chile as well as parts of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Trump wants to prevent America’s enemies from establishing themselves in this huge area.
Although the new security strategy is characterized by distorted ideas about Europe and Russia, the Europeans would do well to wrap up warmly and finally take a more active and independent role from the USA in the Ukraine war. (aargauerzeitung.ch)