Europe starts shifting gears for the Trump era

BARELY a month ago, a phone call between US president Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin sent an unmistakable message across the Atlantic: the US may not be there forever to keep Europe safe from an aggressive Russia.

- 

By the time the pair spoke again this week, a whirlwind of diplomacy had seen Europe juggle alliances and rewrite long-held rules — with a show of assertiveness not always associated with the Old Continent.

“The advent of the Trump administration has given history a shove, and concentrated minds about what needs to be done,” summed up Ian Lesser of the German Marshall Fund think tank.

Here is a look at the shifts taking place — and what might lie ahead — as the 27-nation EU holds on Thursday its third summit in six weeks aimed at ramping up its defences.

From Brussels to Paris to London and back to Brussels — the frenzy of diplomacy sparked by Trump’s outreach to Moscow over Ukraine has blurred a number of lines. Back-to-back meetings have involved sub-groups of countries from in and outside the EU, and for the bloc’s formal talks, “likeminded” partners from Britain to Canada have been kept in the loop, as they will be again this week.

More often than not, Nato’s secretary general has joined in, intent on acting as a bridge with the new US administration.

The shifting formats highlight the challenge posed by Hungary’s Viktor Orban, who is friendly to rump and Russia and has repeatedly held up unanimous EU action on Ukraine.