US policies under President Donald Trump are becoming more “confrontational and unpredictable,” Mario Draghi has warned Published 15 May, 2026 09:24 Mario Draghi © Emanuele Roberto De Carli / NurPhoto via Getty Images US President Donald Trump’s increasingly policies have left Europe and unable to rely on Washington as its main security guarantor, former Italian prime minister and ex-ECB chief Mario Draghi has warned. Draghi made the remarks in Aachen, Germany, on Thursday while receiving the Charlemagne Prize for his to European integration and competitiveness. Using his speech to outline how Europe can survive the Draghi warned the bloc could no longer depend on the US. Draghi said. “brought inflation back into our economies and anxiety back into our households.” At the same time, Draghi described the shift in US policy as a “necessary wake-up call.” “In a world of evolving partnerships, every strategic dependency must now be re-examined. For the first time in living memory, we are truly alone together,” he said, warning that “the partner on whom we still depend has become more confrontational and unpredictable.” Draghi argued Europe must fundamentally rethink its economic and political model, calling for a more assertive bloc and warning reliance on Washington for defense could spill into trade, technology, and energy. He urged deeper integration, a stronger internal market, and a ‘Made in Europe’ strategy to rebuild the bloc’s industrial, technological, and defense base. To hasten this, he proposed “pragmatic federalism,” allowing willing countries to move faster on reforms through joint projects. Relations between the US and EU have been strained since Trump returned to office in 2024, with recurring disputes over trade, defense, digital regulation, and the Ukraine conflict. Trump repeatedly threatened the bloc with tariffs and accused European NATO members of failing to meet obligations, pressing them to raise military spending. His 2026 National Security Strategy further criticized the EU as strategically unreliable and warned of “civilizational erasure.” Trump’s rhetoric over Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory he sought to annex, also fueled tensions last year, although he later softened his stance. READ MORE: NATO rift widens as Trump eyes troop withdrawal from Germany The US-Israeli war on Iran deepened the rift after Washington announced the withdrawal of 5,000 US troops from Germany and threatened further troop cuts in countries such as Spain and Italy following criticism of the conflict.
