One month of US-EU relations - Donald Trump's return shook the transatlantic partnership
A month after Donald Trump returned to the White House, relations between the United States and the European Union are becoming increasingly tense. Trade has been one of the main areas of conflict, as Trump has imposed 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.
"On trade, I will impose a reciprocal tariff, which means that any country that taxes the United States of America...will be taxed by us," Trump said.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen responded that "unjustified customs duties imposed on the European Union will not go unanswered."
"We are one of the largest markets in the world. We will use our means to protect our security and economic interests," Ursula von der Leyen said at the Munich Security Conference.
The war in Ukraine
The US began negotiations with Moscow in Saudi Arabia, paving the way for Vladimir Putin, while Europe remained on the sidelines of peace talks over Ukraine.
"I don't see how a country in Russia's position could allow Ukraine to join NATO. That's why the war started," Donald Trump said.
For its part, the European Union is seeking to remain unified in its responses. "We will continue to support Ukraine in the negotiations, by providing security guarantees, in reconstruction and as a future member of the European Union," assured António Costa, President of the European Council.
Donald Trump has gone even further in recent days by questioning the popularity of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and accusing him of being a "dictator".
"It's completely absurd. If you look at the real world, then you know who in Europe unfortunately lives under dictatorial conditions, the people of Russia and those of Belarus," German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock responded.
The battle of values
Just days before the German elections, US Vice President JD Vance criticized what he described as a decline in freedom of expression in Europe.
“The threat to Europe that worries me most is not Russia, China or any other external actor,” Vance said. “What worries me is the threat from within, the retreat of Europe from some of its most fundamental values, which are shared with the United States of America.”
On the other hand, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz denounced his remarks as foreign interference. “We will not accept that people who look at Germany from the outside interfere in our democracy, in our elections and in the democratic process of opinion formation,” he replied.
This is not the first time the Trump administration has made Germany nervous about its upcoming elections. On January 9, about ten days before Donald Trump's inauguration, billionaire and close friend of the US president, Elon Musk, chatted live on his social network X with Alice Weidel, a candidate for the German far-right party, Alternative for Germany (AfD).
According to the latest study, Europeans now consider the United States an "indispensable partner" rather than an "ally."
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