Europe has ‘gotten the message’ from Trump

Armenia is hosting leaders from across Europe and beyond in the capital, Yerevan, for a summit of the European Political Community.

It is the first such meeting of Western allies since the US announced plans to withdraw troops from Germany.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told reporters that she would not support a US troop withdrawal, such as the kind that has been announced for Germany, but that “it is a decision that doesn’t depend on me.”

Asked last week whether he would also pull out US troops stationed in Spain and Italy, Trump said “probably.”

Unlike Germany, Spain and Italy have limited the use of US military bases in their countries to launch attacks on Iran.

Meloni and Trump previously shared a cordial relationship that has since turned tense over her refusal to lend Italian resources to the war in Iran.

She did say, however, that she will likely meet with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio this week when he travels to the Vatican to meet with Pope Leo.

There are about 12,000 active-duty US military members currently stationed throughout US bases and joint installations in Italy.

Speaking at an EPC plenary session, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer acknowledged the heightened “tension” between the gathered leaders and Washington over Europe’s reluctance to participate in the war with Iran.

“We cannot deny that some of the alliances that we have come to rely on are not in the place we would want them to be,” the prime minister said, adding that “there is more tension in the alliances than there should be and it’s very important that we therefore face up to this as a group of countries together.”

While the relationship between Starmer and President Trump started off on a positive note, it has soured in recent weeks over Starmer’s initial refusal to let the US military use British bases for its strikes on Iran.

Separately, Starmer said he was committed to taking part in the European Union’s planned €90 billion ($105 billion) loan to Ukraine, recently approved after the election defeat of Moscow-friendly Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Hungary.

“The leaders discussed the European Union’s £78 billion loan to Ukraine, and the prime minister underlined the opportunity the UK’s involvement would bring for both Ukraine and European security,” a spokesperson for the prime minister said.

Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz is the first high-ranking official from Ankara to visit Armenia since 2013.

“It is quite significant to have a Turkish representative at an international meeting taking place in Armenia,” an EU official told German news agency dpa.

The last two visits to Yerevan from top leaders came when then-President Abdullah Gül attended a soccer game in 2008 and when former Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu took part in a meeting of Black Sea-bordering nations in 2013.

The two neighbors have long been at odds over Turkey’s refusal to recognize the Armenian genocide carried out by the Ottoman Empire during World War I. Ankara has also routinely sided with Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and closed its land border with Armenia entirely in 1993.

There have been signs since 2021, however, that the relationship is thawing as some diplomatic relations were restored. Some Armenian officials have hinted that their border may be reopened, but there has been no confirmation of this from the Turkish side.

 “We don’t think that we’re destined to submit to a more transactional insular and brutal world and gatherings such as these point to a better way forward,” said Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, in what was perceived as a thinly veiled comment about the US.

Carney is the first non-European leader to attend the EPC, and the move is seen as Ottawa’s latest attempt to diversify both diplomatic ties and trade away from dependency on its southern neighbor. 

Canada also become the first non-European country to join the EU’s defense financing scheme.

“We’re the most European of non-European countries, so there’s many ways that we can work together,” Carney told reporters in Yerevan.

Addressing the EPC, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that gathered members should “develop one common European voice” in response to the US-led war with Iran, even if they “understand” Washington’s position and remain in close contact with leaders there.

He also used his speech to call for assurances from allies that Ukraine would continue to get support for much-needed anti-missile defense systems.

At the same time, he announced that Kyiv and the European Union had advanced on a major drone deal after he spoke with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said at the opening of the EPC summit that Europe has “heard” Washington’s frustration over its conflict with Iran and are “stepping up.”

“European leaders have gotten the message. They heard the message loud and clear,” Rutte said, acknowledging “disappointment on the US side” on European nations’ resistance to joining the war.

His comments came shortly after President Donald Trump announced a major withdrawal of US troops from Germany — which was itself seemingly prompted by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz saying the US was being “humilitated” by Iran.

“Europeans are stepping up, a bigger role for Europe and a stronger NATO,” Rutte added.

French President Emmanuel Macron also addressed the troop drawback, saying that Europe needed to learn to live without depending on the US for defense.

“Europeans are taking their destiny into their own hands, increasing their defence and security spending, and building their own common solutions,” the French leader said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen echoed Macron’s sentiments, saying “we have to step up our military capabilities to be able to defend and protect ourselves.”

The EU’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas called Trump’s move a “surprise”, but said there had been talk of a wind-down for US troops for some time.

The European Politicial Community (EPC) is compromised of 44 member states, including all EU member countries as well as non-EU nations in Europe, Turkey, and some countries in the Caucasus. 

Several other world leaders, including Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, are attending as guests.

It was founded in 2022 in reaction the Russian invasion of Ukraine.It’s format is for high-level talks and debate, not to make binding agreements.

This most recent meeting is expected to focus on defense amidst the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Iran, as well as the threat of energy insecurity these global conflicts pose.

As the group meets in Armenia, shoring up democracy in that country and supporting its peace process with Azerbaijan is also on the agenda.

Leaders from 48 countries are gathering in Yerevan, Armenia, for the latest European Political Community summit under the shadow of wars in Iran and Ukraine.

These high-level talks will be followed by the first-ever summit between the European Union and Armenia.

Check back here for the latest from the EPC.