Trump criticized the lack of a “fair” trade agreement with the European Union
After completing a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, former U.S. President Donald Trump unexpectedly voiced open criticism of the European Union regarding its approach to trade relations with the United States. According to the former president, Brussels is not offering Washington fair terms for concluding a trade deal, which is a deep disappointment for the American political and economic community. Sources later published by Politico through the platform "European Pravda" reported that this position was articulated just a few hours after Trump’s and von der Leyen’s official meeting, which marked the first such format in recent months. During this meeting, the former U.S. president emphasized that negotiations with the EU are ongoing; however, in his opinion, Brussels is not moving in the right direction. "We are negotiating, but I can't say that these proposals are fair or beneficial for America. They will either make an offer that benefits them or just present what we say — and then everything will be clear," Trump stated. In his speeches, he did not hide his disappointment and stressed that, in his view, the European Union is more inclined to harm the U.S. in trade than to seek a compromise. This statement became a logical continuation of Trump’s repeatedly expressed calls to review trade relations with Europe. It is important to note that this topic is not new for the American leader. On June 16, he held his first bilateral meeting with Ursula von der Leyen, during which the parties agreed to instruct their teams to "accelerate work on reaching a good and fair agreement." However, practical actions remained quite limited, and recent tensions in trade negotiations have only grown. At the beginning of summer, Trump publicly announced plans to impose 50% tariffs on imports from the EU, arguing that negotiations with European colleagues "are not progressing." This caused significant resonance in the global trading community, as such measures could substantially affect the prices of shared goods and global supply chains. However, just a few days later, Trump changed his position and announced that he was willing to postpone the implementation of these tariffs, agreeing with Europe to further negotiations until July 9. This followed a phone conversation with Ursula von der Leyen, who likely used diplomatic leverage and persuaded him of the need to find a compromise. Another significant event in this context was the ruling by the U.S. international trade court. On May 28, the court found that the Trump administration exceeded its authority by implementing extensive tariffs against nearly every country in the world. The court’s ruling sent a serious signal to the U.S. government regarding the limits of its exclusive powers in foreign policy and economic sanctions. Despite this, the Trump administration immediately filed an appeal to challenge the court’s decision and to preserve its tariff measures. Exceeding the scope of official agreements, Trump continues to block trade and insists on conditions most favorable to the U.S., which is causing growing concern among European partners and international experts. Thus, the tense situation in trade relations between the U.S. and the EU continues. According to Trump’s words, his criticism is a signal to raise the stakes in the trade game and another step in the fight for advantages on the world market. Soon, it will become clear whether the parties can reach a compromise to satisfy both sides or if this conflict will escalate into a deeper trade confrontation that could significantly alter global economic processes.