As the US president has thrown his weight around across the globe, EU leaders have trailed in the slipstream of events, seeking to mollify and appease Mr Trump in order to preserve what is left of the transatlantic alliance. Given the pivotal importance of the US in guaranteeing Ukraine’s future security, this has perhaps been an understandable strategy of mitigation. But if the EU is to properly assert and protect itself, and project its values in a menacing multipolar world, it needs to start acting with the self-confidence and clarity that should come naturally to an economic superpower whose GDP dwarfs that of Russia.