Half of Europeans see Trump as enemy of Europe, survey finds

Jon Henley

Nearly half of Europeans see Donald Trump as “an enemy of Europe”, rather more rate the risk of war with Russia as high and more than two-thirds believe their country would not be able to defend itself in the event of such a war, a survey has found.

The nine-country poll for the Paris-based European affairs debate platform Le Grand Continent also found that nearly three-quarters of respondents wanted their country to stay in the EU, with almost as many saying leaving the union had harmed the UK.

Jean-Yves Dormagen, a political science professor and founder of the polling agency Cluster17, said: “Europe is not only facing growing risks, it is also undergoing a transformation of its historical, geopolitical and political environment. The overall picture [of the survey] portrays a Europe that is anxious, that is deeply aware of its vulnerabilities and that is struggling to project itself positively into the future.”

The polling found that an average of 48% of people across the nine countries see Trump as an outright foe – ranging from highs of 62% in Belgium and 57% in France to lows of 37% in Croatia and 19% in Poland.

“Across the continent, Trumpism is clearly considered a hostile force,” Dormagen said, adding that this perception was hardening, with fewer people than in December 2024 describing Trump as “neither friend nor foe” and more as definitely hostile.

However, Europeans still view the relationship with the US as strategically important: when asked what position the EU should adopt towards the US government, the most popular option (48%) was compromise.

The survey in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Croatia, Belgium and the Netherlands also found a relative majority (51%) felt the risk of open war with Russia in the coming years was high, and 18% considered it very high.

I will also keep an eye on the visit of the Norwegian prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, to London, to sign a major defence deal between Norway and the UK “to hunt Russian submarines” and protect critical undersea infrastructure.

Norway’s defence minister Tore O. Sandvik met with the UK’s defence secretary John Healey earlier today to sign the deal, and Støre has just been welcomed by UK’s Keir Starmer outside the iconic black doors to 10 Downing Street.

Here’s the UK press release with all details, and here’s the Norwegian side of the story, which also helpfully explains the fascinating history behind the deal’s name, Lunna House, comemmorating a clandestine operation to transfer men and materials between Shetland and Nazi-occupied Norway during the second world war.

Meanwhile, as we were sleeping, France’s Emmanuel Macron has met with China’s Xi Jinping, urging him to “work together” on ending the war in Ukraine and broader geopolitical and economic issues.

“Now, more than ever, dialogue between China and France is vital,” Macron told his host during their Thursday meeting at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, Reuters reported.

“I propose a positive threefold agenda for our relations, one of geopolitical stability, of economic rebalancing, and of environmental sustainability,” he said.

Reuters noted that the French president seeks to bolster his foreign policy credentials and secure commercial deals for French industry in a bid to revitalise his political legacy in the final years of his term after a tumultuous summer, and ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

China, for its part, wants to ease trade frictions with the 27-strong EU over its heavily subsidised electric vehicle industry, while presenting itself as a reliable trading partner and an alternative market to the US as global economies face recession risks resulting from President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Morning opening: So, what’s next?

Jakub Krupa

Russian president Vladimir Putin has described this week’s Ukraine peace talks as “necessary,” “useful,” and “difficult work,” stressing that some of the proposals were unacceptable to Moscow.

He also continued his attacks on Europeans, saying they should get involved to help a deal, rather than hinder it. (Erm.)

But US president Donald Trump insisted that Putin would like to agree a deal, describing the talks as “reasonably good.”

What comes next, however, is not clear.

Meanwhile, the European Union is consumed by a debate on the use of frozen Russian assets, with Belgium only doubling down on its opposition to the European Commission’s proposals, which its prime minister Bart de Wever insisted was totally reasonable.

Let’s just say that not everyone agrees, as much as some of them are sympathethic with some of Belgium’s concerns.

In a comment piece for Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, German chancellor Friedrich Merz warned fellow leaders that the decisions they are going to make now will “decide the future of Europe,” as he talked about the growing threat from “imperialist Russia.”

The EU leaders are still hoping to make a decision at the summit later this month, which gives them 14 days to come up with some sort of acceptable consensus.

I will bring you all the key updates throughout the day.

It’s Thursday, 4 December 2025, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.

Good morning.