WASHINGTON DC – For many in Europe, the return of a more transactional White House nine months ago might have raised familiar questions about transatlantic alliances and the future of Western unity. Veteran diplomat Mark Gitenstein, who until early this year served as the US ambassador to the EU, believes the answer lies not in confrontation, but in a continued diplomatic strategy.
Speaking to Kyiv Post on Wednesday, the longtime adviser to former President Joe Biden said that Europe must maintain its engagement with the Trump administration, even as Washington shifts its tactics, particularly on sensitive issues such as Ukraine, Russia and sanctions.
Navigating the sanctions debate
Sanctions have long been a linchpin of Western foreign policy, but their application has rarely been without friction.
As the EU grapples with the prospect of a more unilateralist approach from the US, former Ambassador Gitenstein has laid out a clear strategy for Brussels to exert its influence.
On the question of Trump’s “you first” approach to sanctions, where the US appears to be demanding the EU act before Washington, Gitenstein said he would not speculate on the White House’s motivations, but saw a legitimate role for a cooperative approach.
He cited three key countries “getting their act together”: Turkey, Slovakia and Hungary.
“Turkey in the case of NATO and Slovakia and Hungary in the case of the European Union, all three are countries where the leadership of those countries has a very good relationship with Donald Trump.”
He emphasized: “So, maybe Donald Trump could pick up the phone and call those three leaders too, and that would be helpful.”
Gitenstein endorsed the goal of a stronger European stance on Russian energy. “It would be nice if all three of those countries – Slovakia, Turkey and Hungary, were supportive of the US and the EU position, which is to cut off all energy sales from Russia. I think it would have a big impact on the war effort, because that’s where a lot of the Russian money for the war machine comes from,” he explained.
He did, however, point to a significant institutional obstacle facing the EU. Under its current rules, a single member state can block a decision on sanctions, as all actions require “unanimous consent.”
Gitenstein argued for a major structural change to the bloc’s decision-making process. “Something that the EU ought to consider in the long run is changing their treaties such that this becomes an area of policy where unanimity is not required, that qualified majorities can make decisions on sanctions,” he said.
He added: “That would be a major reform that ought to be considered. I know that’s hard to do, but probably has to be done.”
Strategy of engagement
This pragmatic approach to US-EU relations extended to his broader assessment of the current administration.
Ahead of a gathering of global leaders in New York next week, Gitenstein advised the EU to continue a strategy he called “very smart, and I think very effective.”
Gitenstein believes the common ground lies in a shared recognition of the primary strategic rival. As to Trump, he said, “I understand he recognized what Biden and Obama before him recognized, which is the People’s Republic of China is the biggest national security threat to the West right now.”
The former ambassador said the most important task for Europe and the US is to “get on the same page on how they use economic statecraft. In particular, 40 percent of the GDP of the world, which they control to manage this relationship.”
He added that this unity would be best demonstrated through a coordinated front on trade and security. “The best way to do that is to get on the same page on sanctions, on Ukraine, on the threats presented by the mercantilist efforts by China to manipulate both economies and both democracies,” he said.
He added: “I think what they are trying to do, both on trade and on Ukraine, is very smart, and they need to continue to do the same thing and continue to reason with Donald Trump and get him on the same page.”
New battlefield: drones and disinformation
When asked about recent drone incursions near Romanian territory, Gitenstein, who once served as the US ambassador in Bucharest, offered a perspective based on his “intuition,” saying they were “deliberate” and raising two key concerns.
The first was a technological gap in military response. “It does seem, just from a layman’s point of view, a little ridiculous that the only way to deal with drones is to mobilize F-16s or F-35s... It’s sort of ridiculous. Clearly, we need technology.”
His second, and “equally important” concern, was the strategic use of social media for disinformation. He highlighted what he called a successful Russian attempt to “convince Poles that these drones came from Ukraine,” calling it “an important lesson” for the entire bloc.
He said the European Commission has a “special burden” to “enforce the digital services act to require media platforms to be more transparent on how their systems and platforms are being used.”
Gitenstein concluded with a stark warning: “If we don’t know what the truth is in terms of national security, we can never adequately defend NATO or Europe.”
Protecting democratic elections
This emphasis on the digital frontier also informed the former US ambassador’s recommendations for upcoming elections in Moldova, where he said he believes the West must “stand for democracy and the rule of law.”
Gitenstein added that the EU must “insist that the provisions of the Digital Services Act be enforced so we can know whether there’s foreign military manipulation of media.”
In the end, he said, it is “up to the Moldovan people,” but insisted on ensuring that “real Moldovans” are participating in the debate, “rather than a bunch of bots working on a farm somewhere in the depths of Russia.”