By Staff, Agencies

The EU should stop considering the United States its main ally, former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said, as tensions rise between Washington and Brussels over digital regulation disputes and control of Greenland.

In an interview with Spain’s Antena 3 broadcaster, Borrell said he “doesn’t know what more US President Donald Trump needs to do for us to understand that the United States and Europe are not the allies they once were.”

He argued that many Europeans resist this reality because the US has long been assumed to be the EU’s principal security partner — but that to him, “it no longer is.” 

Borrell pointed to several ongoing disputes, including visa bans on European officials linked to enforcement of the EU’s Digital Markets Act and Digital Services Act, which place strict obligations on large online platforms — most of which are US-based. European officials defend the laws as necessary for protecting EU sovereignty. 

Addressing recent events beyond regulation, Borrell also referenced America’s military intervention in Venezuela, suggesting it should serve as a lesson for Europe that it must build its own capacity to defend itself rather than “expect the American friend to defend us.” 

His remarks come amid heightened debate within Europe over responses to Trump’s repeated remarks about Greenland and claims that the US “needs” the Arctic island for security — statements that have prompted unified European pushback defending Greenland’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.