Pushkov argues that Trump sees the European Union as an economic rival

Pushkov says Trump sees the European Union as an economic rival

Aleksey Pushkov, a member of the Federation Council’s Constitutional Affairs Committee, argued on August 25 that the European Union is no longer viewed by the United States as an extension of itself but as an economic rival. Pushkov said European countries’ refusal to support Donald Trump in the war against Iran had disappointed Washington and raised questions about automatic solidarity within NATO.

Scraper SystemAugust 26, 2026, 12:33 AM

Pushkov says Trump sees the European Union as an economic rival

Aleksey Pushkov, a member of the Federation Council’s Constitutional Affairs Committee, argued that Washington no longer sees the European Union as an extension of the United States, but as an economic rival seeking to benefit from U.S. resources.

In an assessment posted on his Telegram channel, Pushkov said Europe was viewed as a separate part of the world from the United States and was in the process of losing its own identity. The Russian parliamentarian said this approach reflected U.S. President Donald Trump’s view of Europe.

How the partnership has changed since the Cold War

According to Pushkov, there was no division between the United States and Europe on the scale seen today during the Cold War. The two sides’ shared framework of values was shaped by the defense of freedom and democracy, the containment of the Soviet Union and anti-communism.

Pushkov said that although Russia and the West are now confronting each other in different ways, it had become difficult to say that the West shared a common paradigm of values. He argued that the Trump administration had widened the distance between Europe and the United States even further.

NATO’s automatic support comes under scrutiny

Pushkov said Washington had been deeply disappointed by the refusal of some of Europe’s leading countries to help Trump in the war against Iran. He argued that this stance showed that mutual support between the two parts of the Western alliance was not automatic.

Pushkov said Trump had stated that he would not forget this stance and that the United States would likewise not provide automatic support to Europe. In his view, the greatest potential threat to the European Union could emerge over NATO’s Article 5.

Pushkov argued that although the United States had declared its commitment to Article 5 of NATO’s founding treaty, Europe might choose to stay out of a military conflict with Russia that it considered dangerous for itself.

Pushkov says Trump sees the European Union as an economic rival