The leak, which added to calls for Europe to stop relying so much on Washington, plays into a growing sense that the continent’s most powerful ally is becoming unreliable, and could even turn outright antagonistic.
Public reactions from the top echelons of European capitals were relatively muted, though lawmakers and former officials were outspoken.
“In the amazing story of the Signal group coordinating Yemen air strikes, Vice President JD Vance once again comes out as driven by deep anti-European resentment,” wrote former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt.
Gen. Nicolas Richoux, a former commander of France’s 7th Armored Brigade, said the exchange revealed a “real hatred,” while Mike Martin, a member of the British Parliament who sits on the Defense Select Committee, said it showed that the “US Vice President and Secretary of Defense loathe Europe (as they try to extort money out of it).”
In the Signal chat, a person identified as Vance questioned whether the United States expending military assets on securing shipping lanes would be just another example of “bailing Europe out again.”
“VP: I fully share your loathing of European free-loading,” a user identified as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth responded. “It’s PATHETIC.”
Since the Munich Security Conference in February, Vance has scolded Europe’s handling of “out-of-control migration,” warned that the continent risks “civilizational suicide,” and suggested the future of U.S. troops in Germany could hinge on how Berlin regulates online speech.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk, Trump’s billionaire adviser, in a social media dispute over providing Starlink services to Ukraine, told Poland’s foreign minister earlier this month to “Be quiet, small man.”
more:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/03/25/trump-administration-europe-signal-chat-leak/
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