BRUSSELS — European Union foreign ministers conceded Sunday that they will have to wait to see what moves president-elect Donald Trump makes in the weeks ahead and work on strengthening Europe’s role in world affairs until the future of trans-Atlantic relations becomes clearer.
At informal dinner talks in Brussels, the ministers underlined the importance of respecting the choice of US voters and making contact with Trump’s transition team.
‘‘We’re going to have to see what positions the new administration takes in coming months,’’ Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders said after the meeting ended. ‘‘The debate right now is to see how the European Union can boost its voice in the world.’’
EU nations are anxious to see how many of Trump’s campaign announcements — like isolationist positions on security, his rejection of international trade pacts, and refusal to criticize Russian President Vladimir Putin — might translate into real policy.
Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni noted that Trump does not take office until January, and that Europe has plenty on its plate until then, such as the refugee emergency and economic issues.
Given Trump’s clear opposition to major trade pacts, EU officials are all but certain that the massive Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, or TTIP, will have to be renegotiated, if any life remains in the project at all.
Perhaps the most pressing problem is to understand how Trump wants to deal with Putin. The EU has imposed sanctions on Russia over its annexation of Crimea and destabilizing role elsewhere in Ukraine. Some of those measures, including asset freezes on individuals and organizations, come up for renewal in January.
EU leaders are due to discuss them in Brussels on Dec. 15-16, but any signal from Trump about a warming of US relations with Russia may embolden reluctant countries such as Germany, Italy, to push for an end to the sanctions regime, diplomats said.
The foreign ministers will meet again formally Monday, to discuss strained ties with membership candidate country Turkey, the conflicts in Syria and Libya, and defense cooperation with the NATO alliance.
Ahead of Sunday’s dinner, NATO’s secretary general appealed for trans-Atlantic unity and warned that ‘‘going it alone’’ wasn’t an option for either Europe or the United States.
Writing in Britain’s Observer newspaper, Jens Stoltenberg insisted that Europe and the United States must work together in the face of security challenges.
‘‘We face the greatest challenges to our security in a generation. This is no time to question the value of the partnership,’’ Stoltenberg wrote.
Trump has said that Washington may end its NATO commitments, which include mutual defense in case of attack.
On Monday evening, President Obama will begin a trip to Greece, Germany, and Peru. At every stop, he is expected to be asked how he could have been so wrong about Trump’s election prospects.
Intended as a farewell tour, the trip will now be shadowed by the uncertainty that Trump’s election has cast over Obama’s foreign policy priorities. Among them are the commitments to NATO, freer world trade, the nuclear deal with Iran, the Paris climate accord, and a hard line on Russian meddling.
