Until now, if Western leaders had concerns about Trump’s policies, they tended to decide that the best way to address them was to embrace the American president—to varying degrees. It’s clear now that the approach has hardly produced results. On nearly every issue the West, particularly Europe, cares about—from climate change to trade to Iran—the U.S. has stood apart. And the public criticism of the U.S. in Whistler may be a sign that the Europeans’ approach to Trump is changing. There are already some signals that Europe is looking farther afield for allies. It has finalized a free-trade agreement with Canada, is close to another one with Japan, and has begun negotiations with Australia and New Zealand, as well as the Mercosur bloc of South American countries. Russian President Vladimir Putin, until recently a virtual pariah in European capitals because of his country’s policies in Ukraine and Syria, his support of populist movements across continent, and his country’s efforts to undermine the electoral systems in several Western nations, is visiting European capitals to press not only for closer trade relations, but also a united front on the Iran nuclear deal. China, hardly a poster child for fair trade practices, has emerged an important European ally on climate—stepping in with significant commitments on emissions reduction following Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris accord last year.

In a speech Tuesday at the Heritage Foundation, A. Wess Mitchell, the assistant secretary of state for Eurasian and European Affairs, insisted that a “strong and free Europe is of vital importance to the United States.” He acknowledged disagreements, but added: “The bonds that bind us are far stronger than anything that divides us. … But as in any family, we work out our disagreements in ways that leave us stronger.”