Eurotopics.net

US President Trump is giving Nato the cold shoulder, alienating the US's allies and negotiating with Putin on the war in Ukraine without involving the Europeans. Both the EU and the individual member states are mobilising funds for defence, Paris is extending its nuclear umbrella and London is forming new alliances. The media discuss Europe's security model in transition.

Donald Trump has issued a presidential order decreeing massive cuts to Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and other US international broadcasters. According to media reports, around 1,300 employees have already been placed on administrative leave. Since the Cold War, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty has played a key role as an independent voice in autocracies and dictatorships worldwide. Ukrainian and Russian commentators fear the worst.

In the early spring of 2020, Europe became a hotspot of the Covid-19 pandemic that first broke out in China. Most countries responded with restrictions that brought massive changes to people's everyday lives. Commentators in Europe's press recall how Covid - and the countermeasures - changed life and society with effects that are still being felt to this day.

"The West" as we knew it no longer seems to exist: the recent vote in the UN Security Council, US Vice President JD Vance's speech in Munich, new tariffs and the revival of Russian-American relations all demonstrate how the US is transforming its foreign policy under President Trump. The media assess the consequences for Europe – and its options for new partners.