Gabbard, a former congresswoman who is known for amplifying conspiracy theories, meeting with Syrian leader Bashar Assad and embracing Russian President Vladimir Putin, was viewed as a particularly stunning choice.

“This is really terrifying,” Nathalie Loiseau, former French Europe minister under President Emmanuel Macron and now a European lawmaker in his Renew Europe group, posted on X.

“The time of European restraint and the hope that the USA would protect us is over,” said Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, the German who heads the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Security and Defence.

Marek Magierowski, the former Polish ambassador in Washington, was cutting about Gabbard and her past “pro-Russian” comments. Three days after Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, she called on the leaders of Russia, Ukraine and the U.S. to “embrace the spirit of aloha” and agree on Ukraine’s becoming a neutral country.

“As she becomes the head of the entire U.S. intelligence community, this is a very disturbing signal for sure,” he said on Polish television.

Early hopes

When Rubio’s name first emerged as Trump’s secretary of state pick at the beginning of the week, the initial reaction was cautiously optimistic, with diplomats, experts and officials in Europe, the U.K. and Israel noting he was an experienced foreign policy hand who backed NATO, was tough on Iran and wanted to defend Taiwan against any Chinese invasion.