European Leaders Coordinate on Defense and Trade After U.S. Criticism

European leaders have stepped up coordination on defense spending, trade policy and responses to conflicts in Ukraine and Iran after recent public criticism from President Trump. The coordination follows Trump's questioning of Italy's reliability as a wartime ally and his statement that Italy's premier had sought his attention at a recent meeting.

Leaders from Germany, France, Britain and Poland met with Italy's premier in Berlin in late June, and a bilateral meeting with France's president took place the following day.

For several years, France and Germany had excluded Italy's premier from small-group discussions on foreign policy crises. That pattern continued into 2026 over disagreements about sending European troops to Ukraine after a possible ceasefire. A March decision by Italy's government to require parliamentary approval before allowing U.S. bombers to use a base in Sicily marked a shift in the relationship with the United States.

Nationalist parties in France and Germany have adjusted their public statements about U.S. policy. In France, a far-right leader described U.S. actions as foreign interference and called President Trump erratic. In Germany, leaders of a far-right party expressed disappointment over U.S. military actions against Iran.

In Hungary, the prime minister lost office in April despite prior support from U.S. officials and figures aligned with the MAGA movement. A survey by the Pew Research Center found that 83 percent of Italians lack confidence in President Trump's handling of foreign affairs.

Italy faces a national election by 2027, and the premier has noted that alignment with U.S. policy carries domestic political costs.