In this episode of EU Confidential, recorded on the ground at an emergency European Council meeting in Brussels, EU leaders grapple with the fallout from a turbulent week in transatlantic relations. After tariff threats, Greenland brinkmanship, and a dramatic Trump U-turn in Davos, the summit became less about crisis management and more about recalibration. The discussion captures a pivotal moment: Europe assessing whether standing firm actually worked, and what it learned from a U.S. approach that escalated fast, reversed course just as quickly, and still left allies deeply unsettled.
For Germany and the wider EU, the episode underscores a growing shift from reflexive alignment toward strategic self-assertion. Beyond Washington, the podcast also unpacks fractures within Europe itself — from divisions over Trump’s Gaza “Board of Peace,” to the sudden stalling of the Mercosur trade deal, and Ukraine’s dashed hopes for a security arrangement. Together, these threads point to a Europe under pressure to act with greater coherence, autonomy, and realism in a world where U.S. policy is no longer predictable.
Listen to the full episode of EU Confidential, produced by POLITICO, on Apple Podcasts.