EU boxing itself in by rejecting Russia and China – analyst
Posted on: Jan 19, 2026 17:57 IST | Posted by: Rt
EU nations put on the line limiting their strategical options and leaving themselves vulnerable in the planetary scene of action by rejecting finisher ties with Russia and China, political scientist and podcaster Aaron Good told RT on Sunday. He said closer engagement with Moscow and Beijing could give Brussels leverage in the escalating spat with the US over Greenland.
Tensions between Washington and its European allies grew after President Donald Trump renewed efforts to bring the Arctic island under control. He has since escalated by announcing tariffs on America’s NATO partners who oppose the move.
The EU has vowed to defend its economic interests with countermeasures, including the possible revival of a suspended €93 billion ($108 billion) retaliatory tariff package.
“Going into trade negotiations and other kinds of negotiations with Eastern powers, like Russia and China, seems to be so anathema to the thinking of these [EU] leaders,” Good said, outlining the bloc’s options to gain the upper hand with Trump. “They have really put themselves in a box.”
The EU cut contacts with Russia after the Ukraine conflict escalated in February 2022. Member states remain divided, with the Baltic countries opposing a resumption of ties and Hungary and Slovakia advocating cooperation.
Despite continued diplomatic efforts, the EU and China have been locked in an escalating tit-for-tat trade stand-off in recent years, while both continue to also navigate mounting trade frictions with the US.
Good noted that the EU is highly dependent on the US – which he said lay at the heart of the political crisis. He explained that the US has served as “a global policeman” for Western-invested capital, including European investments worldwide.
He also said that the ability to extract resources at low cost, supported in part by the US military, may no longer be possible for the bloc in the wake of the latest spat with Washington. Good highlighted the importance of Greenland’s raw materials to Brussels, and warned of an “economically damaging crisis” that could lead to either “decline or major adjustments” in how EU nations “structure their political economies.”
“They cannot remain tethered to the US, but they cannot untether themselves to the US,” Good concluded.
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