Kyiv Independent reports:

The new U.S. National Security Strategy stunned Washington’s allies, casting doubt on the entire post-Cold War security order in Europe.

The document takes a direct shot at the EU and questions some of the main principles of NATO, two pillars of Europe’s political and security architecture. It also signals a retreat from the U.S.-led unipolar world while refocusing on the Western Hemisphere.

Despite the ongoing war in Ukraine, the document notably avoids criticism of Russia, which has already praised it as “consistent” with its own vision.

The document’s tone fits well with the Trump administration’s open disdain for Europe’s current leadership. U.S. President Donald Trump recently mocked European leaders as “weak” people who “don’t know what to do” — to the applause of Russian officials.

“First and most simply, Moscow will appreciate how little of an emphasis the strategy places on Russia and its invasion of Ukraine,” says Jorn Fleck, a senior director with the Europe Center at the Atlantic Council.

Secondly, Moscow can see clear benefits in the U.S. framing its priorities through “national sovereignty, non-interference, and a de-prioritization of European security,” he adds.

The document outlines Trump’s vision for the continent, says Constanze Stelzenmuller, an expert on transatlantic relations at Brookings Institution, as “Europe without the EU, and with hard right governments in key capitals — especially London, Paris, Warsaw, and Berlin.”

The new U.S. strategic document lambasts the EU and “other transnational bodies” while celebrating the surge of “patriotic” parties — a clear reference to far-right, Euroskeptic parties like the Alternative for Germany (AfD) that those like Vice President JD Vance clearly favor.

Some European observers acknowledge that the criticism of Europe’s weakness is not completely off the mark. For decades, Europe’s armies have been underfunded as governments have learned to rely on Washington for their security.

“The more that Europe shows itself a capable ally, the less it will need the U.S. and the more influence it will have in the U.S,” says Edward Lucas, a British journalist and a senior fellow at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA), a Washington-based think tank.

Despite its size and strength, Europe does nothing to “impress” the U.S., the expert says, adding that “to fuss and bluster and complain about how terrible the Trump administration is… is a waste of time.”

Similarly, Stelzenmuller stresses the U.S. strategy should accelerate the “timeline for shifting the burden of European defense to Europe.”

However, while the U.S. document advocates for Europe to “stand on its own feet” and assume responsibility for its defense, it also — in a glaring contradiction — envisions the continent as a fragmented group of “sovereign nations.”

Fleck underscores this paradox, saying that the “strategy takes direct aim at the EU as an antagonist to European success.”

“So if the EU were to step up, as it should do, the administration may take unkindly to that,” he adds. [Continue reading…]