‘The West as We Knew It No Longer Exists,’ European Commission’s Chief Says

By Staff, Agencies

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said that “the West as we knew it no longer exists,” pointing to the rapidly deteriorating relations with the United States under Donald Trump's administration.

The European Commission has condemned Trump’s hostile tariffs, calling them “neither credible nor justified.”

“Europe is still a peace project. We don’t have bros or oligarchs making the rules. We don’t invade our neighbors, and we don’t punish them,” von der Leyen said.

In an interview published on Tuesday, the European official addressed the geopolitical shifts following Trump’s election as the US president.

Trump has been actively engaging with international partners and holding talks with officials from Norway, Iceland, Canada, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates.

Speaking of Trump’s tariff policy, von der Leyen urged the international community to expand trade with Europe.

“We must now use this momentum to open up new markets for our companies and establish as close a relationship as possible with many countries that have the same interests as us.”

“The world has become a globe also geopolitically, and today our networks of friendship span the globe, as you can see in the debate about tariffs.”

In a move that signals a potential revival of EU-China relations, von der Leyen has spoken with Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang.

She has also stated that a renewal of the European Union is needed so it can actively participate in the shaping of a new world order.

"We need another, new European Union that is ready to go out into the big, wide world and to play a very active role in shaping this new world order that is coming."

She said the EU needs to strive for progress in "building our own defense capability and improving our competitiveness."

The European politician did not directly mention Trump’s name but called the relationship “complicated.”