Europe Must Wake Up Amid ‘Very Complicated’ Relations With the U.S., Former Italian PM Warns

Former Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has called on the European Union to step up and assert a stronger global role as relations with U.S. President Donald Trump become increasingly strained.

Trump Dismisses EU’s Role in the Middle East

Speaking to CNBC, Renzi responded to Trump’s recent remarks that the EU is “not going to be able to help” end the conflict in the Middle East, where Iran and Israel are engaged in hostilities. While Trump said a ceasefire was in place, the situation remains highly unstable.

Europe’s exclusion from critical discussions, such as peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, has highlighted the continent’s waning influence in global diplomacy.

Growing Trade and Defense Tensions

“There is a very complicated situation, because our best ally, the United States of America, and the President of the United States attack us every day, every week, every month,” said Renzi, who now leads the Italia Viva party.

He emphasized the lack of a trade agreement as a significant concern: “There is not an agreement about tariffs, and that is a tragedy.”

Since taking office, Trump has introduced multiple rounds of tariffs on EU goods, triggering an ongoing transatlantic trade dispute. Both sides are now seeking a compromise before a July 9 deadline to avoid further economic damage.

In addition to trade, defense and foreign policy differences are widening. European leaders are increasingly worried that Trump may scale back the U.S. military presence on the continent, leaving NATO allies more vulnerable.

Europe Urged to Take Responsibility and Act Autonomously

Renzi argued that Europe must move past its dependency on U.S. leadership:

“We grew up with the idea that our alliance with the U.S. is the best. But now Europe must wake up and try to play a role as Europeans.”

This sentiment is echoed across the continent. Former Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta wrote in a Financial Times op-ed that Trump’s actions show a long-term strategy aimed at reshaping America’s global role, weakening multilateralism, and pressuring allies — especially Europe.

Letta called on Europe to “strengthen its autonomy and capacity to act.”

Meanwhile, in a joint op-ed also published by the Financial Times, the French and German leaders acknowledged that the U.S. under Trump has different priorities, urging European nations to increase defense spending and prepare for a more unstable world.

“We will live for the foreseeable future in a deeply destabilised environment, and in a world in which our allies will have other dilemmas and priorities,” the two leaders wrote. “We will have to rise to these challenges.”

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