The European Union amid Great-Power Rivalry: Geopolitical Implications for the United States, Russia and China

Abstract

The contemporary global system is enduring a insightful geo- political transformation driven by escalating great powers race among the US, China and Russia. This competition is reshaping international security, technological rivalry and the global distribution of power. This paper examines the position of EU within unpredictable scenery and its detection of strategic autonomy. This reading claims that the EU  holds a momentous politico-economic position, predominantly apparent in its transatlantic relation with US, one of the most significant economic partners with 1.77 trillion pounds in trade in 2025 and nearly 30% of global trade in goods and services. However, Russia war against Ukraine and Chinese growing strategic arrangement with Moscow have created a complex interconnected challenge for European security. In response to these compressions the EU has significantly increased its defense expenditures reaching 418 billion pounds in 2025 and projected to reach 44 billion pounds in 2026 indicating a move towards greater strategic independence while maintaining transatlantic ties. Using the lens of structural realism, the paper analyzes how the EU seeks to balance its security needs, economic interests and its vision for a most stable and sovereign Europe amidst great power- rivalry.