“The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, is trying to arrange a meeting with President-elect Donald Trump in Florida before his inauguration.”, — write: www.ukrinform.ua
This was reported to Bloomberg by two people familiar with the matter, Ukrinform reports.
Attempts to arrange a meeting are also complicated by the fact that von der Leyen has not yet returned to Brussels after the holidays as she tries to recover from pneumonia in Germany.
EU officials are still trying to establish permanent channels of communication with high-ranking officials in the new administration. Trump has previously complained repeatedly that Europe treats the US badly, and has vowed to impose tariffs on all imports to the United States and demand increased defense spending.
On Thursday evening, von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa issued identical messages saying they were committed to strengthening the transatlantic link.
“We look forward to a positive engagement with the new US administration based on our shared values and shared interests,” they wrote.
Von der Leyen had a particularly close relationship with outgoing President Joe Biden, visiting the White House several times to coordinate policy on Ukraine and China. Now officials are concerned that Trump may withdraw American aid to Ukraine and open communications with Russia.
The EU has privately pledged to work closely with Trump’s team on action in China, but European officials have warned that such cooperation is only possible if Trump does not impose tariffs.
Read also: Expectation Trumpand the end of the war in Ukraine was postponed until Easter – the head of the British Foreign Ministry Some European leaders have been more successful in reaching out to Trump. Over the weekend, he welcomed Italian Prime Minister George Maloney at his Mar-a-Lago resort. Trump also met with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and traveled to Paris to celebrate the opening of Notre Dame Cathedral, where he met with French President Emmanuel Macron.
As reported by Ukrinform, Trump promised to introduce a general tariff of 10-20% on all imports to the USA. Britain has said it is preparing to impose tariffs on US goods in response to Trump’s plans to impose tariffs on all imports.
Photo: European Union