https://arab.news/n3dvq
There is no shortage of geopolitical challenges and opportunities facing US President Donald Trump in 2026. His to-do list, ranging from his Gaza peace proposal to finalizing an end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and managing his evolving policy toward Venezuela, will ensure that global affairs, whether he wants it or not, remain a top agenda item. One area of US foreign policy that should be routine and stable, however, but has instead become difficult and fraught, is relations with Europe.
At the beginning of Trump’s second term, relations in the transatlantic community were going well. Many did not expect the problems now seen between the US and Europe. European leaders, having learned lessons from Trump’s first term, knew exactly how to engage with the president. Successful bilateral visits by several European leaders were widely viewed as successes. Trump did not abandon Ukraine, as many feared, and instead pursued pragmatic solutions to contentious issues in the US, such as arming Ukraine, while at the same time seeking a peaceful outcome to the conflict.
Toward the end of 2025, however, tensions in the relationship began to mount. These tensions culminated in the US imposing travel bans on five European officials over alleged crackdowns on American social media companies and how they operate in Europe.
