European Union leaders are gathering in Brussels today for informal talks focused mainly on ties between the bloc and the United States, military spending and the growth of Europe's defense industry.
Some of the attention was focused on US President Donald Trump's statements about imposing tariffs on the bloc. Leaders of member countries and senior officials of the bloc said there would be no winners in a trade war with the United States.
European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas stressed that US tariffs would affect jobs and prices, adding that China would be the only one to benefit from such a situation.
"We are very interconnected. We need America and America needs us too," she said, speaking before an informal meeting of European Union leaders in Brussels.
President Trump has warned the 27 European Union countries that they are next in line after his decision to impose sweeping tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China.
"Absolutely (will impose tariffs). The European Union has treated us very badly," President Trump told reporters on Sunday.
Recent statements from the United States are pushing Europe to be stronger and more united, French President Emmanuel Macron said ahead of the meeting in Brussels.
"If Europe is attacked over commercial interests, it must take measures to regain respect and act," said President Macron.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke in a more cautious tone, urging the EU and the United States to work together.
"Both the United States and Europe benefit from the exchange of goods and services. If customs policy were to make this more difficult, it would be bad for both," said Chancellor Scholz.
However, he added that the bloc is a strong economic area and "can react to customs policies with customs policies."
The informal high-level meeting in Brussels, which is also attended by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, focuses mainly on the issue of defense, but also includes cooperation with the United States.
The EU has consistently exported more goods to the United States than it has imported, and the trade deficit in goods in 2023 was 155.8 billion euros, according to Eurostat data.
However, in services, the US had a surplus of exports over imports with the European Union of 104 billion euros in 2023./ Voice of America (A2 Televizion)
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