Europe-U.S. ties at their ‘lowest’ in NATO history, ex-EU chief says, as Trump goes ‘America First’

Published Mon, Jan 26 20261:20 AM EST

Anniek Bao@in/anniek-bao-460a48107/@anniekbyx

Key Points

• Europe and U.S. relations are facing their “lowest moment” since NATO came into being: Barroso
• Trump’s goal of seizing Greenland have strained ties between the U.S. and Europe.
• Only 16% of Europeans view the U.S. as an ally that shares the same values, down from 21% in 2024: survey.

U.S. President Donald Trump (R) listens as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte speaks during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting on Jan. 21, 2026 in Davos, Switzerland.

Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images

Europe and U.S. relations are facing their “lowest moment” since NATO came into being, former European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said, as Washington’s disruptive approach to diplomacy forces allies to reexamine the transatlantic relationship.

“There are some doubts about the relationship with the United States,” Barroso, also former prime minister of Portugal, said in an interview with CNBC’s “The China Connection” on Monday, pointing to a loss of trust that extends beyond the European Union to include the U.K.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s aim to acquire Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, including threats of possible military action and higher tariffs on European nations, has shaken confidence in the U.S. among European leaders and the public.

The relationship between Europe and the U.S. has become increasingly driven by interests, shifting away from the traditional model of being based on shared “democratic values,” Barroso said, describing the moment as a “rupture phase” in which it remains unclear “where we are going from now.”

While Trump pulled back from a maximalist position, ruling out the use of military force and retreating from his threat of imposing tariffs on European nations aimed at pressuring them to help the U.S. acquire the island, he is sticking with his aim of exerting control on the Arctic territory.

In a social media post last week after a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, Trump said there is “the framework of a future deal” on Greenland, without disclosing any details or whether Denmark had agreed to a deal. Rutte later said the issue of Greenland’s ownership did not come up in his talks with Trump.

Barroso described Trump as “the great disruptor” who is sometimes “more tough with allies and friends, than with opponents.”

Only 16% of Europeans view the U.S. as an ally that shares the same values, down from 21% in 2024, with a “striking” 20% seeing the U.S. as a rival or an enemy, according to a survey conducted in November by the European Council on Foreign Relations, an international think tank.

That collapse of trust was stark in the U.K. which saw the share drop to 25%, from 37% a year earlier.

Something will divide the USA and Europe and they will separate from NATO and this is based on Bible Prophecy.  But its surprising how fast things are changing and few if any would have seen this coming.

What is also interesting is the EU is saying they need to Re-Arm and President Emmanual Macron says that the EU needs hundreds of billions in defense spending.

President Macron is also on record saying he wants to bring Russia back to the negotiating table and begin dialogue on some form of a Security Pact with Russia, NATO’s existence in its current form will be an issue even more so now.

The Bible has long revealed that Russia and an EU Army will enter into a final conflict with Israel and the Middle East.  Germany is the key country in what Bible Prophecy refers to as the land of “Magog”. They are spoken of militarily as the “King of the North”.  Together the Bible says that Russia and the EU will invade the Middle East in the Last Days.  So Bible Students expect to see Germany and France taking a greater role in leading Europe.  It is also interesting to see Germany taking greater control of a continent they tried to take by war and failed.

Yet again we see in Todays News Headlines words that show how the Nations are fulfilling the latter day alignment of Nations as Prophesied by the Bible. 

See this article to learn more about this and the latter day prophecies of the Bible.

See this article for more on this subject: WHAT IS NEXT FOR EUROPE