BUDAPEST — European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is suggesting that one way to deter U.S. President-elect Donald Trump from imposing new tariffs is for Europe to buy more liquefied natural gas from America.
During his election campaign, the real estate mogul vowed to bring back jobs to the United States and impose across-the-board duties of up to 20 percent on American imports. Brussels has been revving up to strike back fast and hard against any Trump tariffs to bring the Republican back to the negotiating table and hammer out a deal.
With the opening shot in the trade war yet to be fired, the EU’s first response is to appeal for a détente, von der Leyen said after an informal meeting of the bloc’s leaders in Budapest.
“First of all: engage,” von der Leyen said, when asked about how to avoid Trump’s tariffs, referring to her phone call with the president-elect. “Secondly, discuss common interests […] and then go into negotiations.”
