Steven Erlanger

Iran, Ukraine and Gaza are in play as the Trump envoys conduct talks on all of them. But progress in each conflict is scant.

As the U.S. message veered from shared heritage and values to shared interests and back again, Europeans wondered what kind of alliance they were left with.

At the Munich Security Conference, U.S. officials softened their tone but not their message: Europe should pay its own way. European leaders increasingly agree.

Officials gather on Friday for Europe’s biggest annual security summit, where a speech by Vice President JD Vance last year started an unraveling of trans-Atlantic relations.

Iran is skilled at prolonging negotiations over its nuclear program, and seems to be hoping President Trump is out for a quick win, rather than a prolonged regional war.

Iran’s Islamic Republic, weakened by airstrikes in June and huge popular unrest, warns that it will strike back hard if attacked by the United States. This time, Iran may mean it.

Territorial integrity is a core tenet of Europe that is at risk from Russian and American imperialism. Brussels has fought back.

Its security forces have brutally defended the Islamic Republic, but the protests show that many Iranians consider it stagnant and ideologically hollow.

Needing U.S. support to fend off Russia in Ukraine, European leaders have been cautious about criticizing President Trump on Greenland, Iran, Venezuela and much else.

Several Latin American leaders responded with anger, while European leaders were more cautious. President Trump’s audacious raid drew support, too.

Europeans find themselves stranded between hostile powers, Russia and the United States, with key decisions looming over the future of Ukraine.