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The 'special' relationship that we have now is the one with our nearest neighbours

The Observer

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March 02, 2025

It's exhausting and humiliating to have no control - watching every meeting in the Oval Office for a glimmer of Trump's approval or displeasure, our security resting on a perceived slight or a mood.

- Peter Pomerantsev

The 'special' relationship that we have now is the one with our nearest neighbours

The last week of meetings between Trump, Macron, Starmer and finally Zelenskyy always felt like crawling across a minefield. Some might agonise about whether Zelenskyy could have played things differently. It's the wrong question. The point is that we can't carry on being so dependent on every meeting at the White House. Until we start taking charge of our future, we will always be one heart palpitation away from dreading doomsday.

Here are the steps to solve that.

First: Europe has to show a united front. Britain can have its own side channels - there are some benefits of avoiding the coming EU-US trade war - but the most "special" relationship we have now is the one with our nearest neighbours.

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