“When the European Union proposed modest defense initiatives, Trump’s Department of State and Department of Defense strongly opposed them. Despite Trump’s aversion to NATO, his administration sought to ensure the United States’ primacy in Europe. That continued in the Biden administration. Yet there has been a subtle and quiet shift, with the United States no longer vocally opposing European Union–led initiatives but not actively supporting them either.”

The United States has had a complex relationship with European integration, sometimes supporting it while also acting to limit its autonomy. Historically, the U.S. encouraged European integration as a means to stabilize the region and counter Soviet influence during the Cold War. However, this support was often conditional on Europe remaining within a framework of U.S. leadership, particularly through NATO34.

In recent decades, U.S. actions have sometimes frustrated stronger EU integration. For example, the U.S. has opposed EU-led defense initiatives, viewing them as a challenge to NATO’s primacy and fearing they might weaken transatlantic ties1. During Donald Trump’s presidency, there was significant resistance to the idea of “European strategic autonomy,” with U.S. officials opposing even modest EU defense proposals1. While the Biden administration softened this stance, it did not actively support such initiatives either1.

Additionally, American conservatives have expressed concerns that deeper EU integration could undermine Western competitiveness and U.S. influence on global issues8. This ambivalence reflects broader strategic calculations, where the U.S. seeks to balance encouraging European strength with maintaining its own leadership in transatlantic relations.