This article is an on-site version of our Europe Express newsletter. Premium subscribers can sign up here<\/a> to get the newsletter delivered every weekday and fortnightly on Saturday morning. Standard subscribers can upgrade to Premium here<\/a>, or explore<\/a> all FT newsletters<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Good morning, and welcome back. We hope you had a great break.<\/p>\n Today, I assess Europe\u2019s mealy-mouthed responses to US President Donald Trump\u2019s violation of Venezuelan sovereignty, and Laura reports on France\u2019s plan to impose new trade restrictions to protect its farmers. <\/p>\n Just how far is Europe willing to excuse Donald Trump\u2019s behaviour for the sake of appeasement? In some of the continent\u2019s capitals, many think his smash-and-grab attack<\/a> on Venezuela should be a turning point.<\/p>\n Context: US special forces backed by bombers, fighter jets and helicopters attacked Caracas<\/a> early on Saturday and captured President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro, who is now in a New York jail. The regime change operation will mean the US will \u201crun\u201d the country <\/a>indefinitely, Trump has said.<\/p>\n The operation, which national leaders, politicians and law experts claim breached international law, poses enormous legal and moral questions for EU governments.<\/p>\n For almost four years, the EU has justified sending almost $200bn<\/a> worth of weapons and financial aid to Ukraine in the name of defending Kyiv\u2019s sovereignty and territorial integrity.<\/p>\n A statement issued last night<\/a> by the EU\u2019s chief diplomat Kaja Kallas and endorsed by all member states except Hungary did not state that those two values had been breached in Venezuela.<\/p>\n The closest it came to condemnation was stating that \u201cthe principles of international law and the UN Charter must be upheld\u201d, noting members of the UN Security Council have a \u201cparticular responsibility\u201d to do so.<\/p>\n \u201cIt somehow manages to not even hint at the insanity of the intention of the US to \u2018run\u2019 another country whose president they have just kidnapped,\u201d said one EU official about the statement.<\/p>\n Other EU statements called for \u201cde-escalation\u201d, condemned Maduro, and deployed that classic cop-out of \u201cfollowing the situation closely\u201d.<\/p>\n Spain\u2019s Prime Minister Pedro S\u00e1nchez was the exception, referring<\/a> to a \u201cviolation of international law in Venezuela, an act that we strongly condemn\u201d.<\/p>\n Fearful that Trump could ban supplies of arms or intelligence to Ukraine or undermine US security guarantees to Europe, EU leaders have bent over backwards<\/a> to avoid upsetting him, choosing deference<\/a> over defending their principles even when he directly menaces the continent with trade tariffs or threats<\/a> against their digital rules.<\/p>\n While Maduro was not recognised as Venezuela\u2019s legitimate leader by almost all western capitals, analysts warned that not condemning the attack of another country and the kidnapping of its leader risked encouraging similar moves by other states, confident that the US had read the funeral rites of the rules-based international order.<\/p>\n The biggest danger to Europe could be a sequel mission from an emboldened Trump. This weekend, he repeated his assertion that the US \u201cneeds\u201d Greenland, the vast Arctic island that is part of Denmark.<\/p>\n Hours after the Venezuela raid was announced, Katie Miller, a prominent Trump supporter and wife of his deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, published<\/a> a map of Greenland overlaid with the US flag, with the caption: \u201cSOON\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cIt makes absolutely no sense to talk about the need for the US to take over Greenland\u2009.\u2009.\u2009.\u2009I would therefore strongly urge the US to stop threats against a historically close ally,\u201d Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said last night<\/a>.<\/p>\nRule of war<\/span><\/h3>\n
Chart du jour: Keep out<\/span><\/h2>\n