US President Donald Trump has reignited tensions with European allies after launching a blistering attack on Europe’s immigration policies, handling of the Ukraine war, and political leadership. In an interview published Tuesday by Politico, Trump described Europe as “decaying,” accused its leaders of weakness, and claimed that Russia currently holds the advantage in the nearly three-year conflict.
His remarks have widened existing transatlantic fractures just days after the release of his administration’s controversial national security strategy, which critics say echoes far-right narratives and warns of “civilizational erasure” in Europe.
“Europe Is Decaying”
Speaking Monday, Trump said:
“Most European nations, they’re decaying… They want to be politically correct, and it makes them weak.”
He added that some European leaders were “real stupid ones,” and slammed the continent’s approach to immigration as a “disaster.”
The 79-year-old president, whose political identity has long been tied to harsh rhetoric about migrants, suggested that countries such as the UK, France, Germany, Poland and Sweden were being “destroyed” by migration.
His attacks included a renewed verbal assault on London Mayor Sadiq Khan, whom Trump described as “horrible, vicious, disgusting.” Khan responded in Politico, saying Trump was “obsessed” with him and claimed many Americans were moving to London.
Transatlantic Divide Over Ukraine Strategy Widens
Trump also criticized European nations over the ongoing war in Ukraine. Growing divisions have emerged over a US-backed plan to end the conflict—one that European officials fear could push Kyiv into relinquishing territory to Russia, which launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.
The president said Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky should hold elections despite the war:
“It gets to a point where it’s not a democracy anymore.”
National elections scheduled for March 2024 were postponed under martial law after Russia’s invasion. Around 20% of Ukrainian territory remains under Russian occupation.
Trump accused Zelensky of not properly reviewing the US peace proposal:
“It would be nice if he would read it. A lot of people are dying.”
Fresh elections are reportedly included in the draft US plan.
Ukrainian President Zelensky responded Tuesday, saying he was “ready for elections if security is ensured,” and that Ukraine expects to send an updated version of the US plan to Washington on Wednesday.
“NATO Calls Me Daddy”
Trump again boasted of his influence over NATO, referring to remarks by alliance chief Mark Rutte at a June summit.
“NATO calls me daddy,” he said, before accusing allies of failing to deliver sufficient military support for Ukraine:
“They talk but they don’t produce. And the war just keeps going on and on.”
European governments have been working to maintain engagement with Trump since his return to office in January, particularly regarding continued US backing for Ukraine.
Security Strategy Sparks Alarm in Europe
Trump’s interview follows a national security strategy released last week that encourages “cultivating resistance” in Europe over migration and warns of demographic decline. Experts say parts of the document resemble the far-right “great replacement theory”, long promoted by extremist groups and amplified by some of Trump’s allies, including Elon Musk.
A French minister, Alice Rufo, described the strategy as
“an extremely brutal clarification of the ideological stance of the United States.”
Russia and China Treated More Softly
Unlike the harsh attacks on European allies, the US security strategy notably offered milder language toward Russia and China. The Kremlin responded that it viewed the American document as aligned with its own worldview.
Recent US negotiations in Moscow and subsequent meetings with Ukrainian officials have so far produced no visible breakthrough.