By Ben Meiselas
During a week when French President Emmanuel Macron received a hero’s welcome at Sichuan University in China, France itself was under threat. As Macron met with Xi Jinping, unidentified drones circled over one of France’s most sensitive military sites: its top nuclear submarine base. The French military opened fire, unclear whether the drones were downed. What is clear is the suspected origin. European intelligence officials say the drones may be Russian, another probe to test NATO’s resolve at a moment when the United States has stepped away from its most fundamental commitments.
This was not an isolated incident. In Ireland, an assassination attempt on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy went largely unnoticed by U.S. media. Multiple Russian drones positioned themselves along the approach path to Zelensky’s plane as he arrived to address the Irish Parliament. His aircraft landed ahead of schedule, likely avoiding a catastrophic strike. European leaders understand exactly what they are facing. The only thing missing is the support that once defined the transatlantic alliance.
Under this administration, that support has evaporated. There has been no U.S. military assistance to Ukraine this year. None. Instead of reinforcing Ukraine as Russia escalates, the United States is now removing sanctions on Russian energy giants like Lukoil, permitting its global operations to resume freely through 2026. At the same time, American officials have been lobbying European governments to block EU efforts to use frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine’s defense and reconstruction. The new U.S. position is unmistakable: weaken Ukraine to strengthen Putin.
European leaders have taken notice. Der Spiegel obtained leaked notes from a high-level call between Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, and Zelenskyy. Their warnings were direct. Macron reportedly used the word “betrayal,” cautioning that Washington may attempt to push Ukraine into surrendering territory without offering any security guarantees. Scholz warned Zelensky that “the United States is playing games with you and with us.” Stubb said Zelensky should not be left alone in any room with Jared Kushner or Richard Grenell, the unofficial envoys advancing Trump’s agenda in Europe. Rutte agreed, emphasizing that Zelensky’s personal safety is at risk.
These concerns are not speculation. They align precisely with what the United States has now declared publicly as policy. On Friday, the Trump administration released its National Security Strategy. I don’t believe this is getting nearly enough attention. The document states plainly that America’s top strategic priority is “cultivating resistance to Europe’s current trajectory within European nations.” It describes the European Union as an adversary whose unity must be undermined. It celebrates the rise of “patriotic European parties,” the euphemism used for the far-right, anti-immigrant movements aligned with Putin and championed by figures like Marine Le Pen.
You can see this plan already being put into action. While Trump regime removes sanctions on Russia, it is now pushing for sanctions against the EU. The EU recently imposed a fine on Elon Musk’s X platform for violating the Digital Services Act, the bloc’s content moderation law. Musk branded the body as the “EU woke Stasi” and vowed retribution. “The EU should be abolished and sovereignty returned to individual countries, so that governments can better represent their people,” Musk wrote on X ealier, adding, “AbolishTheEU.” That now seems to be the official policy of the United States government.
The strategy goes further. It calls for the United States to negotiate an “expeditious cessation of hostilities in Ukraine” to stabilize European economies and reestablish “strategic stability with Russia.” This is not the language of a nation supporting a democratic ally under attack. It is the language of a government eager to rehabilitate a belligerent autocracy that invaded its neighbor, committed atrocities, and continues its campaign of genocide.
Global leaders are adjusting accordingly. India rolled out the red carpet for Vladimir Putin in a state visit that would have been unthinkable even a few years ago. China hosted Macron with exceptional warmth. Nations across the world are revising their geopolitical calculations as they confront an unavoidable reality: the United States, once the anchor of democratic alliances, is isolating itself while embracing the worldview of the Kremlin.
Meanwhile, Trump publicly accepts a “peace award” from the head of FIFA, a fake award created to make him feel special after he didn’t get his Nobel. As he basks in pageantry, America’s traditional partners are engaged in urgent diplomatic efforts to stabilize Europe without U.S. leadership. The European Commission continues pursuing plans to use frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine despite active American lobbying against it. “Financial support for Ukraine is of central importance for European security,” the EU’s president, Ursula von der Leyen, said this week.
Zelenskyy is adapting as well. In a statement, he announced that Ukrainian representatives are in discussions with Trump’s team to obtain “full information about what was said in Moscow” between Putin and unofficial U.S. envoys. His tone reflects a sobering understanding that Washington’s priorities have changed, and not for the better.
The consequences of this shift cannot be understated. Russian drones are flying over nuclear submarine bases in France. They nearly struck Zelensky’s plane in Ireland. European leaders are warning one another privately that the United States can no longer be trusted. Allies are recalibrating without us. A new world order is emerging, one in which America has chosen to diminish itself, and try to take the entire free world down in the process.
This is the moment we find ourselves in. And we will continue to highlight these stories here on the MeidasTouch Network and this Substack.
