The US President accused the European Union of failing to implement a trade agreement that was supposed to limit tariffs on most goods to 15% last summer. Donald Trump said that the US would raise tariffs on cars and trucks from the European Union to 25%. This is reported by Kurs Ukrainy, the PromPolitInform portal reports.
According to Trump, the European Union is “not fulfilling” a fully agreed trade agreement with the US. He did not specify which obligations he believes Brussels has violated.
The Associated Press writes that Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen agreed on a trade agreement in July last year. It provided for a 15% tariff on most goods, but Washington’s new step actually returns the threat of a stricter trade regime for the European auto industry.
The decision could hit car manufacturers from Germany and other EU countries, for whom the US market remains one of the key export destinations, first of all. The increase in duties could also increase the prices of European cars in the US and provoke a new phase of the trade dispute between Washington and Brussels.
For Ukraine, this topic is important because of the state of the EU economy and transatlantic coordination. A new tariff conflict between the US and the EU could distract allies from working together on sanctions against Russia, defense aid to Kyiv, and financing Ukrainian needs.
