Sometimes a month ago, a phone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin sent an unambiguous message across the Atlantic Ocean: The United States may not be present forever to maintain Europe’s safe from aggressive Russia.

By the time when the couple spoke again this week, a whirlwind of diplomacy witnessed alliances in Europe and rewrites the long rules-while showing the unrelated confirmation of the old continent.

“The emergence of the Trump administration has given history and focused minds about what to do,” Ian Lider summarized the thought funds in the German Marshall funds.

Below is a look at the transformations that occur-and what may wait for us-where the European Union consisting of 27 countries on Thursday maintains its third saying in six weeks aimed at increasing its defenses.

“New actors”

From Brussels to Paris to London and returning to Brussels – The diplomacy sparked by Trump’s communication to Moscow on Ukraine led to the lack of clarity of a number of lines.

The successive meetings included sub -groups of countries from within and outside the European Union, and for the official incidents of the bloc, “similar” partners from Britain to Canada were kept, where they will be again this week.

Most of the time, NATO Secretary -General joined and intends to work as a bridge with the new American administration.

The changing coordination highlights the challenge represented by Victor Urban from Hungary, which is a friend of Trump and Russia, and has repeatedly represented the European Union unanimously on Ukraine.

For the second time in a row, leaders expect to settle in Brussels in a statement of 26 countries to avoid what a senior European Union official called “strategic difference” with Urban on the conflict.

From the big tent to interconnected poisoning, flexibility also reflects the “alliance of those who want” emerging around Ukraine, and the complications of strengthening Europe’s long -term defenses.

“It is clear that Europe, which takes defense, is not seriously, but more independently, you will want to include new actors including Britain, Norway but also Turkey,” this also sees the chance of a “stronger European pole” in NATO in the coming times.

Old friends

Britain’s move to Europe is one of the most consequences of the American disengagement, even in an official attempt to revive relations after Britain’s exit from the European Union, showed signs of confusion.

The old fists were floating again between London and some European capitals accusing them of hacking cherries in the batch of “reset”-and those familiar with the European Union still believe that any wide agreement would be difficult.

But British Prime Minister Kiir Starmer has emerged as a major player in European efforts to maintain the involvement of the United States, and to secure a ceasefire in Ukraine, and serious about the security of the continent.

“This really helped convert a page to the United Kingdom,” said Cameel Grand, a European Council of Foreign Relations. “Both sides realize that when it comes to it, we can meet about things that really concern.”

In the short term, Grand still predicts that “who gets Europe’s money for armament”, with the “Buy Eurobean” provisions hidden in the 150 billion euros ($ 163 billion) loan program this week.

But Britain can come in the project if it signs a security agreement with the European Union.

With Starmer and France from Emmanuel Macron in Lockstep on the Ukraine coalition, this enhances the issue of those who seek security cooperation in the European Union at least at least.

Cursed rules?

The possibility of losing US security protection also led to a simple earthquake that includes the rules of deficit in the budget of the European Union.

Brussels now wants to suspend financial rules for a period of four years to launch potential defensive spending of 650 billion euros, to gestures from countries that have suffered in protest.

Calls to go further and reform these same rules that have emerged from Germany, which is historically hesitant-itself tearing decades of precedents by supporting defensive spending “Bazoka” paid by the leader of Friedrich Mirz.

More radical, Mirz called for talks with France and Britain on a joint nuclear deterrent, while Poland Donald Tusk has shown interest in reaching atomic weapons.

“Many taboos have been destroyed in recent weeks,” said Lesser, in everything from deterrence to funding.

Warning? The influential Germany and the Netherlands remain firmly opposed to joint borrowing in the European Union, the scale that was published to overcome the roaming epidemic.

“At the present time, there is no,” the top diplomats Kaja Kalas admitted on Wednesday. “But is it completely out of the table? I don’t think so.”

This story was originally shown on Fortune.com

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2025-03-20 11:04:00