In reference to this remark:
I think the European Union is a foe, what they do to us in trade. Now you wouldn’t think of the European Union but they’re a foe. Russia is foe in certain respects. China is a foe economically, certainly they are a foe. But that doesn’t mean they are bad. It doesn’t mean anything. It means that they are competitive.
by the president, I think it’s a poor choice of words. I would agree that the EU is a competitor. Who wouldn’t? Isn’t it obvious? In particular the euro was started explicitly as an alternative to the dollar.
I think there’s an argument that Germany is what might be called “hostile, non-belligerent” with respect to the United States.
I think that China sees trade, diplomacy, and global influence as a zero sum game. For China to rise, the U. S. must decline. We’ve worked very hard at ensuring that Russia and the United States maintain some level of hostility and the Russians have been cooperative. IMO they see the United States and President Trump pretty realistically. Check the third graph in the preceding link. A majority of Russians want closer political, military, and economic ties with the U. S. Seeing a corresponding chart for the U. S. would be interesting. This article from Pew Research suggests the Russians might think of us more favorably than the Germans do.
Why do Russians want a closer relationship with the U.S.? Is there a sense the only alternative is being pushed into China’s orbit? If that’s the case the desire for better relations is pretty reasonable.
Conflict between Russia and China is practically inevitable. Conflict between China and the U. S. is optional; it’s being fomented by both parties.