By Philip Blenkinsop and Andrew Gray
BUDAPEST (Reuters) – European leaders gathered on Thursday in the shadow of Donald Trump’s election victory, calling for stronger action to defend themselves and back Ukraine, a clear signal to the Republican who has long been sceptical of the trans-Atlantic alliance.
More than 40 leaders met in Budapest a summit of the European Political Community, set up after Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine to link the EU and friends such as Britain and Ukraine itself.
Trump’s relationship with his European peers was rocky for much of his first term. Since then, he has said he would not defend European allies unless they spend more on their own defence, has expressed scepticism about the scale of U.S. support for Ukraine and has proposed tariffs on imports that would hurt European manufacturers.
His election is a new source of anxiety at a time when Europe is already grappling with weakness in its two biggest powers, Germany, whose government just broke apart, and France, where President Emmanuel Macron lost his party’s majority in parliament.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen and other leaders spoke about the importance of continuing to support Ukraine against Russia, remarks clearly aimed as much at the president-elect across the Atlantic as at the other Europeans in the hall.
“It is in all our interests that the autocrats of this world get a very clear message that there is not the right of might, that the rule of law is important,” she said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said it was too early to predict what course Trump would take, but that a strong America would be good for Europe and vice versa.
“Of course, we cannot yet know what his actions will be. But we do hope that America will become stronger. This is the kind of America that Europe needs. And a strong Europe is what America needs, to my mind,” Zelenskiy said.
HERBIVORE AMONG CARNIVORES
French President Emmanuel Macron, who has long pushed Europe to build up cooperation on defence, said Europe must not become a weak “herbivore” surrounded by “carnivores”.
“We need to be able to defend ourselves,” he said. “We cannot delegate our security to the Americans forever.”
“Our role is not to comment on Trump’s election and say if it’s a good thing or not. The question is whether we are ready to stand up for the interests of Europeans,” Macron said.
The summit host, Hungary’s right-wing nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, is one of Trump’s few close allies among European leaders, and cheered his re-election.
But others were blunt in expressing their concerns.
Finland’s Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said he was worried about the prospect of a trade war: “It should not be allowed to happen. Let’s now try to influence the U.S. and Trump’s future policy so that he understands the risks involved.”
Adding to the uncertainty hanging over the Budapest gatherings, Germany’s three-party government broke apart on Wednesday evening as Chancellor Olaf Scholz sacked his finance minister and paved the way for a general election.
“One thing is for sure, Europe is not strong without a strong Germany,” European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said.
