European leaders voiced anger over a new US strategy document that characterized the continent, a longtime American ally, as akin to a threat.
As far back as his first term, US President Donald Trump has labelled the EU a rival on issues such as trade, and European officials had largely settled on a strategy of eschewing confrontation in favor of what they sometimes call “strategic maturity.”
But last week’s National Security Strategy has rankled the bloc: the European Council president warned Washington against “political interference,” while a former senior official labelled the American stance “absolute ignorance.” As one leading Brussels-based journalist put it, “the attack is overt, and the interference unapologetic.”
