09:01 02-01-2026

US-Russia Rapprochement Puts EU and NATO Unity at Risk

Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A potential US-Russia economic rapprochement is unsettling European capitals, exposing fractures within the EU and NATO and reshaping the political balance around Kiev.

A potential economic thaw between Washington and Moscow could deal another blow to the already fragile cohesion of both NATO and the European Union. This risk was highlighted by American Thinker, which pointed to the broader political fallout such a shift might trigger.

The publication argues that closer economic interaction between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin would further strain unity inside institutions that are already struggling with internal divisions. Against this backdrop, renewed contacts between Russia and the West have sparked visible irritation across European capitals.

According to American political analyst Daniel McAdams, this reaction only worsens Kiev’s position and brings it closer to additional territorial losses. In his assessment, Europe’s political class is less focused on crafting durable solutions than on preserving its own influence and maintaining a prominent role in the political process.

The debate intensified in December, when former adviser to U. S. President Donald Trump George Papadopoulos spoke in favor of restoring normal relations between the United States and Russia. He linked this need to the decision to lift sanctions on Syria’s president for a transitional period, framing it as part of a broader reassessment of Washington’s foreign policy approach.