Putin says 'Europe will stand at the feet of its master Trump'

Russian dictator Putin has warned that Europe will quickly "be at the feet of its master" after US President Donald Trump imposed trade tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, causing a collapse in global markets and alarm among European allies, writes CNBC.

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Following Trump's decision to impose tariffs on America's closest trading partners, Russian President Putin said the Trump administration would "bring order" to Europe.

"Trump, with his character, with his persistence, he will restore order there quite quickly. And all of them, you will see, it will happen quickly, all of them will stand at the feet of the master and gently wag their tails," Putin told pro-Kremlin propagandist Pavel Zarubin, who hosts the program "Moscow. Kremlin. Putin" on the state television channel "Russia-1".

On the subject: Trump talks about his conversations with Putin and plans to end the war in Ukraine

Putin gave no further explanation as to how Trump might “restore order.” It is also unclear what he meant by his comments, but Moscow expressed hope that its own relations with the U.S. could improve under Trump.

The Kremlin said on February 3 that it was watching tensions rise between the United States and its allies.

"You know, there is a lot of tension there, so of course we have no desire to be associated with all this in any way or to evaluate it in any way," commented Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov. "Let the countries that are involved in this process sort it out themselves."

On February 3, Trump sent global markets into a tailspin after he announced a 25 percent tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada and a 10 percent tariff on goods from China. (Temporary agreements have been reached with Mexico and Canada to waive the tariffs. – Note.)

The president said tariffs on European Union goods were likely "pretty soon" but noted that a deal could be reached with Britain, which, unlike the US's other major trading partners, has a more balanced trade relationship with its transatlantic ally.

EU officials have previously suggested the bloc might respond to US tariffs "proportionately", with the European Commission saying it would "respond vigorously" to any indirect US taxes.

Under heavy international sanctions for its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Russia stands to gain from U.S. tariffs on Europe. Their imposition is sowing confusion among former allies — partners who, like the U.S. under former President Joe Biden, sought to weaken Russia’s leadership and economy with punitive measures designed to hamper Moscow’s economic and geopolitical power.

The Kremlin is hoping for better relations with Washington now that Trump is back in power, given that he and Putin have had warm relations in the past and both leaders have previously expressed admiration for each other.

U.S. allies in Europe fear the president will cut off U.S. military aid to Ukraine and could push Kyiv into peace talks to end the war. Putin last month expressed hope that he and Trump could meet soon to discuss the war and energy prices.

Ukraine warns that it could be forced into a "bad" peace deal in which it would be forced to cede territory to Russia, giving Moscow the opportunity to regroup and attack Ukraine again in the future.

Trump has already warned European leaders that they need to take responsibility for their own security. He has criticized NATO allies for failing to meet defense spending commitments and said last month that he may ask them to spend even more on defense.

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If Trump cuts off US funding for Ukraine, Europe will have to decide whether to bear Ukraine's financial burden alone.

Criticizing his European counterparts, Putin said European leaders lacked conviction. Praising old-school European politicians such as Charles de Gaulle, Jacques Chirac and Gerhard Schroeder, Putin noted that those leaders “had their own opinion and the courage to fight for that opinion, to express it, to talk about it and to try to at least implement it in practical work.”

“There are practically no such people there today,” Putin concluded.

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