The U.S. and Russia Align Against Europe

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Analysis The U.S. and Russia Align Against Europe Nine thinkers on what’s next for Europe and Ukraine. February 24, 2025, 12:55 PM Comment icon View Comments ( 0 ) By Nathalie Tocci , the director of the Istituto Affari Internazionali. Standing in front of Air Force Two, JD Vance chats with members of law enforcement in uniform. U.S. Vice President JD Vance speaks with German law enforcement personnel before boarding Air Force Two at Munich International Airport on Feb. 14 following the Munich Security Conference. LEAH MILLIS/AFP via Getty Images My FP: Follow topics and authors to get straight to what you like. Exclusively for FP subscribers. Subscribe Now | Log In Politics Military United States Russia Europe For years, Russia has been Europe’s greatest enemy, trying everything short of war to divide the continent, bring down democratic governments, and support Kremlin-friendly leaders. Using money, disinformation campaigns, and election meddling, Russia has backed and boosted illiberal, nationalist, pro-Russian, anti-European Union, and authoritarian forces for years. Now, the world’s most powerful leader—U.S. President Donald Trump—and the world’s richest man—Elon Musk—are aligning the world’s greatest superpower with Europe’s greatest enemy by actively supporting the same far-right movements, attacking the same democratic governments, and flooding the European information space with the same kind of disinformation, often including Kremlin talking points virtually word for word. For years, Russia has been Europe’s greatest enemy, trying everything short of war to divide the continent, bring down democratic governments, and support Kremlin-friendly leaders. Using money, disinformation campaigns, and election meddling, Russia has backed and boosted illiberal, nationalist, pro-Russian, anti-European Union, and authoritarian forces for years. Three Years of War Trending Articles Israel’s Lapid Lays Out Alternative to Trump’s Gaza Plan The opposition leader’s proposal would see Egypt take temporary control of the enclave and oversee its reconstruction. Powered By Advertisement Israel’s Lapid Lays Out Alternative to Trump’s Gaza Plan X This story is part of a collection on what’s next for Europe and Ukraine. Read the full package here . Now, the world’s most powerful leader—U.S. President Donald Trump—and the world’s richest man—Elon Musk—are aligning the world’s greatest superpower with Europe’s greatest enemy by actively supporting the same far-right movements, attacking the same democratic governments, and flooding the European information space with the same kind of disinformation, often including Kremlin talking points virtually word for word. It was unfathomable enough that Washington, Silicon Valley, and Moscow are now partnering to make Europe safe for the toxic mix of autocracy and oligarchy that has long characterized Russia and now appears to be taking rapid steps toward establishing itself in the United States. Even more dangerous is the fact that Europe’s formerly greatest ally has so much more power to do European societies harm. For all the resources Russian President Vladimir Putin has poured into his online troll farms, they are insignificant compared to the military, economic, political, and technological might of the United States. Moreover, Europe’s immune system to protect itself against the United States is much weaker. Occasional trans-Atlantic spats aside, Europe’s policymakers have been accustomed to seeing the United States as their greatest friend and ally. It’s a massive psychological leap for Europeans to acknowledge Washington’s actively hostile intentions and bake these into their actions going forward. What can Europe do to confront both the Russian threat and a United States that is actively trying to undermine it? On Russia, Europeans will need to do even more on defense and societal resilience. Europe belatedly banned RT, Sputnik, and other Russian propaganda outlets, but it will be far more difficult to divorce the European internet from some of the world’s most powerful and intrusive corporations. X has turned into a sewer of extremist and pro-Russian information since Musk purchased the platform. Going into Sunday’s German elections, Musk campaigned for the far-right Alternative for Germany, and that party’s posts are getting far greater visibility on X. (U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance also promoted the party during a visit to Germany last week.) With U.S. tech CEOs cozying up to Trump since the U.S. election, we should expect this nefarious deluge to rise. Part of the response will be to change the approach to Trump. Until last week, European leaders thought about pleasing him by buying more U.S. weapons and natural gas. But if Washington now wants to actively weaken Europe, the opposite is called for. Russia has taught Europeans that dependencies can be weaponized. With that lesson in mind, Europe should bolster its defenses by gradually reducing—not increasing—its dependence on the United States. Perhaps this will turn out to be just a nasty parenthesis in an enduring trans-Atlantic friendship. But it’s surely wiser for Europeans to assume and plan for the opposite. This story is part of a collection on what’s next for Europe and Ukraine. Read the full package here . My FP: Follow topics and authors to get straight to what you like. Exclusively for FP subscribers. Subscribe Now | Log In Politics Military United States Russia Europe Nathalie Tocci is the director of the Istituto Affari Internazionali, an honorary professor at the University of Tübingen, an adjunct professor at the European University Institute, and a fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences. X: @NathalieTocci Read More On Europe | Military | Politics | Russia | United States Join the Conversation Commenting on this and other recent articles is just one benefit of a Foreign Policy subscription. Already a subscriber? Log In . Subscribe Subscribe View 0 Comments Join the Conversation Join the conversation on this and other recent Foreign Policy articles when you subscribe now. Subscribe Subscribe Not your account? Log out View 0 Comments Join the Conversation Please follow our comment guidelines , stay on topic, and be civil, courteous, and respectful of others’ beliefs. You are commenting as . 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