BRUSSELS — For decades, America’s chief diplomat has been greeted in Europe’s heart with broad smiles and open arms.

That tradition appeared to have been suspended on Tuesday.

Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson’s reception in Brussels was distinctly chilly, as disappointment among European diplomats in President Trump’s nationalistic tone and insulting messages on Twitter built into quiet fury on the eve of an expected announcement that the United States would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Such a move could infuriate the Palestinians, who want East Jerusalem to be their capital in a future Palestinian state.

In a brief public appearance beside Mr. Tillerson, Federica Mogherini, the European Union’s top diplomat, gave the kind of stone-cold statement of facts that she would normally provide standing beside her Russian counterpart, not the American one.

She made clear that the European Union saw the Trump administration’s possible announcement on Jerusalem as a threat to peace in the Middle East.