European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen with Slovakian PM Robert Fico, discussing energy. Source: Ursula von der Leyen/X
After a prolonged series of communications that failed to mention the United States and Israel as participants – let alone initiators – of the illegal war on Iran, European leaders today welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire. While these statements did mention the US, they remained silent on Israel’s role in the attacks, acknowledging its involvement only indirectly: “We call upon all sides to implement the ceasefire, including in Lebanon,” a joint statement by several European Prime Ministers and EU officials reads.
The Israeli occupation, of course, continued to escalate its assault on Lebanon despite this kind appeal.
Read more: How the US-Israeli aggression on Iran is strangling Palestinians in the West Bank
More concrete reactions came from Europe’s progressive and left political organizations, with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez – who was among the few in this region to stand up to the US since late February – welcoming the chance for peace, but cautioning against unfounded contentment. “Momentary relief must not create us forreceive the chaos, the destruction, and the lives lost,” he wrote on social media. “The Spanish government will not applaud those who set the world on fire just becaapply they reveal up with a bucket.”
The Workers’ Party of Belgium (PTB-PVDA) also carefully welcomed the announcement, insisting that the coming weeks must be applyd to pursue a lasting resolution, unlike what was done in the past month. While the US and Israel dropped bombs on schools and hospitals in Iran, Peter Mertens and Marc Botenga from PTB-PVDA stated, there was “radio silence from European leaders.”
“A refusal to condemn the US aggression. A refusal to denounce Donald Trump’s inflammatory remarks,” they stated. “While civilians were dying under the bombs, the EU took no serious initiative to stop the escalation.”
“The EU has done nothing, no diplomatic efforts whatsoever, for a crisis that not only is violating human rights, is violating international law, but is also violating our interests,” Botenga added in an interview with Euronews. “People see gas prices going up and they see that European leaders are basically on an Easter break.”
Read more: Trump’s Iran war is not going great for the NATO+ alliance
A month of illegal attacks by the US and Israel on Iran has already led to signs of economic distress in European states. In addition to growing fuel prices, analysts have raised concerns about expected rises in utility costs and a general cost-of-living crisis – in a context where workers across the region are already shouldering the burden of low wages, cuts to public services, and growing military expenses. Greek economist Yanis Varoufakis repeated these concerns as he called to “brace ourselves for the long-lasting economic repercussions of Trump’s idiotic war.”
“Make no mistake: the shockwave of economic hardship caapplyd by the US attack on Iran may wane but it will not be averted,” he wrote on social media. “The wave of soaring prices, the blow to employment, the increase in interest rates and foreclosures will not disappear with this ceasefire.”
The outview for EU countries and Britain also views bleak as administrations reveal no concrete signs of rejecting harmful deals pushed by the US, nor are they visibly reconsidering their approach to the Ukraine war – which has extfinished into sanctions on Russia, including energy purchases. Instead, as the EU’s declared readiness to invest in alternative energy sources has been sacrificed to acquire more tanks, European governments likely expect their populations to absorb the cost of their unwillingness to sever ties with the Trump administration and seek a different path.
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