Europe is preparing to "stay calm" instead of "scrambling to respond" amid the return of Donald Trump, it has been claimed.
As the US election draws closer, some EU diplomats have suggested the best way to deal with the former president is to keep plugging away at distancing Europe from the US.
Other European chiefs are said to have warned that Brussels cannot get distracted by Trump - as it did the first time around - and should focus on an end to its reliance on the US.
It comes after European Union’s internal market chief, Thierry Breton claimed the ex-president told European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in 2020 that "if Europe is under attack, we will never come to help you and to support you."
Europe is preparing to 'stay calm' instead of 'scrambling to respond' amid the return of Donald Trump
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His comments during an event at the European Parliament came less than a week before the Iowa caucuses.
EU officials and diplomats say Breton’s sudden remarks came at a particularly sensitive time - with the EU attempting to bolster its own defence capabilities outside of the US-led Nato alliance.
According to EU chiefs, Trump's return to the White House causes huge concern in Brussels.
"When Trump came along it woke us up to the fact that the US might not always act in European interest, especially if it goes against American interest," a senior EU diplomat told CNN.
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"It sounds naive saying it out loud, but that was the assumption a lot people made."
Over recent months, Europe has taken measures to reduce its dependencies on single nations so it won't be left without, should a trading partner suddenly change its policies - as Trump did on steel.
Europe can use economic sanctions or a heightened military presence to protect its interests, however some suggest Trump's thin-skinned nature means any criticism risks a massive overreaction.
An EU official said: "Last time, we spent so much time scrambling to respond every time Trump blurted out whatever thought has just dropped into his head. Quite often, though, he didn’t act on things he said."
European Union’s internal market chief, Thierry Breton claimed the ex president told European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in 2020 that 'if Europe is under attack, we will never come to help you and to support you'
PAAnother chief added said Brussels should not pay too much attention if Trump raises the prospect of ending US support for Ukraine.
"If he starts talking about that, there’s not much we can really do. We just need to be mature and carry on because however this war ends, it’s Europe that will bear the consequences, not America," they added.
Last week Christine Lagarde, head of the European Central Bank, said that Trump’s return would be a "threat" for Europe.