BRUSSELS — After shock waves from a massive Russian drone assault severely damaged the EU delegation in Kyiv last month, Ursula von der Leyen didn’t wait for the official diplomatic channels to contact Donald Trump.

The European Commission boss simply rang Trump directly. Two EU officials familiar with the call said she told the U.S. president: “This is what [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is capable of. Here’s a clear example of how Putin isn’t keeping his word.”

The fact that von der Leyen and Trump are speaking directly is of increasing geopolitical significance. For months, early in Trump’s second term, the EU feared it was being left out, unable to make itself heard — or even deliberately snubbed — in the vital diplomacy over the war in Ukraine, as Trump aligned himself with Kremlin talking points.

But something has shifted since June, and the two leaders are now in regular contact. Trump is lavishing von der Leyen with compliments such as “fantastic” and “tremendous,” and European diplomats think the chemistry between the two is playing a role in Trump’s souring stance on Putin.

Trump’s unexpectedly sharp change of tone on Tuesday toward Putin — casting Russia as a “paper tiger” that was struggling to match the “great spirit” of the Ukrainians — came after conversations with both Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and von der Leyen.

The first EU official said Trump’s pro-Ukraine Truth Social message followed an in-depth conversation with von der Leyen about sanctions — with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also present. The discussion largely focused on tightening pressure on Russia, the official said.

“The president [von der Leyen] was clear about how determined we are to keep the pressure on Russia,” the official added.

The question “Who do you call in Europe?” has long haunted American (and global) diplomacy. Given the EU’s famously fragmented leadership — a European Council president, a Commission president, a foreign policy chief and 27 national leaders — the answer was never obvious.

Von der Leyen’s success in emerging as the face of Europe derives in part from Trump’s hazy understanding of her job — as late as this week he praised her for her role in “running lots of different nations.”

Trump also blows hot and cold on his favorites, but for now at least the Europeans think von der Leyen has his ear at a crucial moment. The relationship means she still has to make big concessions to the U.S. — notably on trade and Big Tech — but when it comes to core security interests, EU officials reckon she’s in the conversation.

‘More powerful than all these guys’

The second EU official said a key turning point in the relationship came at the June 16-17 G7 summit in Kananaskis, Canada, where von der Leyen and Trump held a bilateral focused on pressing ahead with the EU-U.S. trade deal.

“After that, contacts ramped up,” said the first EU official, noting a clear change in the personal relationship.

When von der Leyen traveled to Asia in July for summits with Japan and China, U.S. officials signaled they wanted to fast-track talks. Upon her return it was Trump who picked up the phone, the second EU official confirmed.

“Why don’t you come to Scotland and make the deal?” Trump asked. She did.

While the trade deal has been widely cast in Europe as humiliatingly lopsided, the second EU official said von der Leyen’s negotiating style had still impressed the veteran real estate tycoon.

The talks unfolded just the way Trump likes it: no legalese, no technical annexes, just numbers — with him threatening sky-high tariffs on European goods, and von der Leyen haggling him down.

“He started with 35 [percent], then 29, then 25,” said the second EU official. “Eventually they landed on 15 percent, as everyone knows.”

Trump remembered her flinty negotiating stance. At their next meeting in Washington, with von der Leyen surrounded by other European leaders, Trump publicly joked: “I think you might be more powerful than all these guys at this table.”

‘Tremendous woman’

When a reporter mentioned a high-altitude scare in which the GPS on von der Leyen’s plane was supposedly jammed by interference over Bulgaria — an episode that didn’t quite unfold as initially reported — Trump cut her off as soon as he realized who she was talking about.

“With Ursula? She had an interesting event. She’s a tremendous woman,” Trump said. “And so what are you asking me about her?”

“Tremendous woman” represented a win in Trump-speak. Former EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager was dismissed as a “tax lady” who “hates the U.S.,” while his presidential rival Hillary Clinton was notoriously a “nasty woman.” (Trump has since elevated his praise of von der Leyen to “very powerful,” a “very smart woman” and “a friend of mine.”)

Once the reporter finished her question on the the GPS jamming, Trump continued: “Nobody knows where it came from, but they did take away her ability to use the phone.” He added: “You know, sometimes that’s a good thing. Sometimes if it happened to me, I’d be very happy.”

Beneath the joke, he was unexpectedly au fait with von der Leyen’s phone reception problems, and there was a clear suggestion the two had been unable to get in touch. It was more evidence that the Commission president was increasingly, if only for now, nearing that holy grail of EU leaders — a default European interlocutor for a U.S. president.

Streamlined comms

Within the famously messy hierarchies of EU leadership — spread across numerous national governments and Brussels institutions — von der Leyen has won through.

During the August visit of European leaders to the White House, she was the only EU institutional figure to show up. Gone was the usual two-for-one combo with the European Council president.

The message was clear: Brussels is streamlining its transatlantic voice. Von der Leyen may not speak for all of Europe — but she’s increasingly the one who picks up the phone. And the one whom Trump calls back.

It wasn’t always this smooth. Early efforts to engage with Trump’s team were clunky, the two EU officials admitted — not helped by the revolving doors in the U.S. administration during his first months in office.

But as things stabilized in Washington, the relationship improved, they said. One factor helped: Trump’s habit of skipping protocol and calling directly.

“My impression is that he would just randomly pick up the phone and call when he wants to,” said the first EU official, based on their experience of the U.S. president’s habits getting in touch.

That unpredictability made personal rapport the key currency.

The price to pay

It’s one thing to be in Trump’s côterie, but his favor rarely comes free.

In addition to the much-criticized trade deal with the U.S., von der Leyen’s more relaxed approach on regulating Big Tech — seen as watering down EU rules to keep Trump sweet — has drawn criticism from both the European Parliament and national capitals.

Still, in a Europe that struggles to speak with one voice, having someone who can cut through the noise matters.

This marks a shift from past attempts by leaders like French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, or British Prime Minister Keir Starmer to play “Trump whisperer.”

“The president [von der Leyen] never tried to be a whisperer,” said the second EU official. “Trump just figured out on his own that this woman is very tough — as he likes to say.”

“She’s not the only one, of course. I get the feeling he talks to NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte all the time,” the first EU official added, noting Trump’s constant messaging and calls.

But with von der Leyen it’s different. She doesn’t flood the line — she calls when it matters. 

In the end, though, being Trump’s “friend” only gets you so far. 

“He’ll still do what he wants,” the official conceded.

Nicholas Vinocur contributed reporting.