At a Paris conference on 8 December, European Council President Antonio Costa warned the United States not to threaten EU member states and urged that allies act as equals, while a new US security strategy highlighted Europe’s need to shoulder more responsibility.
Costa Calls for Respectful Allyship
During a Paris event on 8 December, European Council President Antonio Costa said the United States and the European Union have different approaches on many issues but warned that the EU “cannot accept a threat of interference in the internal political life” of its member states.
He added that the United States should not threaten to intervene in the democratic life of its European allies and that the vision of freedom of speech differs between the EU and the US. “There must be no freedom of speech without freedom of information,” Costa said, warning that free speech would be meaningless if citizens’ freedom of information were sacrificed to defend tech oligarchs in the United States.
US Security Strategy Highlights European Self‑Reliance
Last Friday, the United States unveiled its new security strategy, outlining key pillars of American policy. One chapter is dedicated to Europe, where President Donald Trump stressed that European allies must take greater responsibility for their own national security rather than relying solely on the U.S.
Trump also warned that the United States would support opponents of values promoted by the European Union, including on immigration. The document criticized what it called European leaders’ “unrealistic expectations” for ending the war in Ukraine and called for a halt to NATO expansion.
