Information leak serves to expose US' attitude toward European allies

That senior Donald Trump administration officials discussed classified military plans — such as "air strikes on Yemen's Houthi forces" — on a nonclassified communication app, in a breach of US government security norms, is dramatic enough.

What makes it even more astonishing is the inclusion in that chat of Jeffrey Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Atlantic. This blunder led to the information leak.

Yet, public perception was hardly shaken when US Vice-President JD Vance openly declared, "I just hate bailing Europe out again", while Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth dismissed Europe as "freeloading". Although Europe considers itself an ally of the United States, the Trump administration has undoubtedly demonstrated a dismissive demeanor toward it.