‘Modi has the political courage Europe lacks’: Entrepreneur says EU lacks will, courage, shame for giving in to Trump’s demands

India has the courage that the European Union lacks for giving in to Trump’s whims and demands, says founder of HouseTrip and entrepreneur, Arnaud Bertrand. He said it is absurd that the EU is negotiating peace through a hostile Donald Trump, and have made a “pathetic spectacle” of themselves. 

The harsh criticism comes after Trump’s hasty meeting with European leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the White House to discuss a roadmap for ending the Russian war with Ukraine. 

“You can say what you want about India, Modi does have the political courage that Europe thoroughly lacks. Imagine if Europe had done this with Russia when Trump started, like he just did with India, to go hostile on trade. Not only would they not be in the absurd situation where they need to negotiate peace with Russia via the intermediary of a hostile Trump, but they also could be rebuilding ties with Russia as leverage against American extortion. And I'm not even speaking about avoiding the pathetic spectacle of being lined up like schoolchildren before Trump's desk, or having to pay several points worth of European GDP in tribute,” he said. 

Bertrand stated that Europe now gets the worst of all the worlds – “public humiliation as American vassals, systematic wealth extraction by the US, a ruinous proxy war they need to pay for, and continuous hostility with their next door neighbour even when, ironically, the US is now restoring relations”. 

He also highlighted that it is harder for India to take a stand than for Europe, considering the level of animosity Indians have for China, which is more than what Europeans have for Russia. “Heck, European leaders would undoubtedly have been cheered by a large proportion of Europeans if they'd taken the diplomatic initiative in Ukraine instead of Trump, all the more if it was as a strategic move to resist Trump. But no, they'd rather sit in the Oval Office like obedient pupils, write $100 billion checks to American defence contractors, and continue playing vassals to a hegemon that openly despises them.”

“Europe doesn't lack the capability for strategic autonomy - it lacks the will, the courage, and apparently, any sense of shame. If you want examples of sensible leadership in today's world, look in Asia,” he said.

Bertrand’s scathing comments came after the White House meeting yielded no concrete results. Despite Trump’s vow to assist Kyiv in a hypothetical peace deal, there was no sign that either of the two parties had any visible change in stance. Instead, Trump ended the meeting with a promise to host another meeting involving Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

The European leaders, including Zelenskyy were careful to brush aside policy disagreements, showering Trump with compliments instead. However, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told the leaders that they wanted to see Putin agree to a ceasefire. Trump argued that he has solved many conflicts without first reaching a ceasefire.