First, Italy swore in a euroskeptic government that has worried the financial markets. Then a pro-Europe government in Spain suddenly collapsed, even as the bloc’s leaders were contending with trade tariffs imposed by President Trump.

It was quite a Friday for Brussels, the capital of the European Union. On the same day wild animals were reported missing at a zoo in Germany, stirring anxiety, Europe itself seemed to be wandering through a forest of global politics.

The political uncertainty in Europe’s south, combined with yet another humiliation from Mr. Trump’s Washington, has only added to the sense of consternation, if not crisis, on the Continent.

In fact, Mr. Trump seemed bent on increasing the pressure on his putative allies in ways that widen fissures both within the European Union and with the United States.