50 European leaders assess how Trump will affect their fortunes. German crisis adds to challenges
Around 50 European leaders will be reassessing their trans-Atlantic relations in the hope that Donald Trump's second U.S. presidency will avoid the strife and political pitfalls of his first administration
BUDAPEST, Hungary — Around 50 European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, will be reassessing their trans-Atlantic relations in the hope that Donald Trump's second U.S. presidency will avoid the strife and political pitfalls of his first administration.
Further compounding an already complicated situation, Germany — Europe's troubled economic juggernaut — sank into political crisis after German Chancellor Olaf Scholz fired his finance minister. It raises the specter of an election in a few months and yet another standoff between the emboldened hard right and the establishment parties in Europe.
Those two combined “adds even more pepper and salt to this situation,” Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.
But the U.S. election fallout still took center stage.
“Our relationship with the U.S. is essential and we are ready to deepen it,” European Council President Charles Michel said.
The 27 nations from the European Union bloc will be meeting in a separate summit as soon as other leaders from the United Kingdom, Turkey and the Balkans leave in the evening.
During his election campaign, Trump has threatened anything from a trade war with Europe to a withdrawal of NATO commitments and a fundamental shift of support for Ukraine in its war with Russia — all issues that could have groundbreaking consequences for nations across Europe.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, the summit's host and an ardent Trump fan, said early Thursday that he already had a
Read more on abcnews.go.com
