BRUSSELS — President Donald Trump has joined Russia, China and radical Islam as a threat to Europe, the president of the European Council Donald Tusk said on Tuesday.
In a letter to national leaders before a summit that he will chair in Malta to prepare the European Union’s future after Britain leaves , the conservative former Polish prime minister called on Europeans to stick together to avoid domination by three other continental powers.
Trump’s more protectionist trade policy offered the E. U. a chance and it should do more now to set up free trade deals, he added.
Saying the E. U. faces its biggest challenges in its 60-year history, the senior official said an “assertive China,” “Russia’s aggressive policy” toward its neighbors, “radical Islam” fueling anarchy in the Middle East and Africa were key external threats. These, he said, “as well as worrying declarations by the new American administration, all make our future highly unpredictable.
