© Getty Images Trump's “America First” policy has disrupted traditional relationships and alliances.
Europe is fully entitled to object to the actions of the United States when Washington puts forth inadmissible proposals , as stated by French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Friday, January 9, Reuters indicated .
Barrot's declarations surfaced amid growing discontent among certain of Washington’s partners concerning the manner in which US President Donald Trump’s “America First” foreign affairs and trade strategies have destabilized established ties and alliances.
“In a matter of months, the fresh US government has opted to reassess the connections that unite us. It is within their rights. And we also possess the right to voice 'no' to a long-standing ally, irrespective of its history, should its proposition be untenable,” Barrot expressed during an address to French ambassadors.
Trump’s fixation on Greenland, an independent territory abundant in minerals belonging to the Kingdom of Denmark, which he asserts is vital for United States national security, represents yet another policy position that troubles Europeans as they endeavor to ascertain how to counteract this perceived menace.
Barrot seemed to bracket Washington alongside the danger emanating from dictator Vladimir Putin’s Russia, whose armed forces have breached Ukraine, asserting that Europe is under siege from external “opponents” aiming to dissolve historical bonds.
“Threats and coercion”
“They aspire to exploit our internal rifts once more, as they’ve done for generations. They’re already initiating probes into the robustness of our Union via intimidations and compulsions, manifested by territorial encroachments on our eastern boundary, commercial strong-arming, and claims on Greenland, which is not available for purchase,” the French minister conveyed.
With slightly under 18 months remaining until the French presidential contest, Barrot denounced endeavors to bolster “political factions that seek to disavow the European legacy” — a transparent insinuation pertaining to the United States’ backing of far-rightist political groups in Europe.
Barrot also decried US sanctions imposed upon European combatants against disinformation and former European Union functionaries, including ex-EU Commissioner Thierry Breton, due to what Washington characterized as an attempt to suppress American social media platforms.
“This… constitutes a direct challenge to our prerogative to establish our own regulations within our geographical boundaries,” Barrot declared, appending that France would rebuff such strain.
Barrot spoke two days after German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier delivered remarkably cutting critiques regarding the “destruction of values by our foremost ally, the United States,” and suggested that the world is susceptible to becoming “a haven for brigands, wherein the most unscrupulous seize whatever they covet.”
The United States also garnered censure from French President Emmanuel Macron, who stated that the United States was “straying from global norms” and “progressively distancing itself” from certain of its confederates.