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EU Capitals has urged Brussels to set fire to the possibility of retaliation against Donald Trump’s tariffs until the NATO summit in June, claiming that dealings with the US president on medium-term security in Europe must be a priority.
Diplomats and officials told the Financial Times that the government is seeking a suspension of major US-related decisions, including key defence investments, until the outcome of the NATO rally in The Hague next month is revealed.
NATO officials are also being urged to reduce the military alliance summit as much as possible, in order to minimize the chances of a clash with Trump amid deep uncertainty about what can be done at the event.
Trump calls for European allies to devote 5% of their GDP to defend and commit to adopting a plan that “equals” responsibility for defending the continent that has relied on America for decades.
Alongside fierce talks between major European leaders and NATO Secretary-General Mark Latte, Capitals is urging the European Commission to avoid hostile opponents to the White House with remping on how to appease Trump at the June 24-25 gathering.
Authorities said it would include avoiding public inflammatory debates on trade retaliation in response to Trump’s tariffs, delaying defence procurement decisions, including direct choice of European and US options, and avoiding criticism of US approaches to Ukraine regarding Greenland’s annexation.
Trump imposes 25% tariffs on European steel, aluminum and cars, and 10% blanket fees on EU imports. He will pause until early July, double that flat tariff to 20%, waiting for negotiations with the bloc. Authorities say if negotiations on a “balanced” agreement collapse, the EU must retaliate with its own trade measures.
“There’s a lot of tension ahead of the Hague. The general idea is to do whatever we can (play) and tell him what he wants to hear and take him out again without disaster.”
“We need to come up with a reliable plan for an orderly shift (from the US to Europe) at our responsibility,” said one NATO official. “That is the only important priority.
The EU and NATO are clear, but 23 countries are members of both Brussels-based organizations, and Rutte has close ties with the chairman of the Committee Ursula Von Der Leyen.
US officials told NATO allies that while Trump is scheduled to attend the summit, they could decide to spend more and cancel their acceptance of responsibility for defending Europe if there is no pre-arranged agreement between NATO’s 31 other members.
NATO has created a detailed study of its members’ current capabilities to inform the complex debate on Europe’s existing dependence on the US, how to reduce it, and how quickly and in which regions can reduce its presence without risking the safety of the continent.
European authorities personally estimate that a five- to 10-year timeline is feasible with an agreed plan with the US that will be reduced in certain key areas as the European military scales up.
The Hague Summit was initially expected to be a famous event for Latte.
But it has already fallen in two days, and he is putting pressure on reducing the number of discussions between leaders to reduce the risk of a big fire with Trump.
Many European leaders fear the possibility of a repeating 2018 NATO summit. It caused a chaotic scramble to appease him with the promise of increased defensive spending that involved Latte as Dutch Prime Minister.
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“Money, money, money,” said the European diplomats involved in the preparation. “He doesn’t want to talk about anything else, so I’m waiting (additional topics).”
This significantly reduced the importance of the distinctive policy areas of the previous annual summit, including Ukraine’s bids for membership, relations with Asian partner countries, and issues related to climate change.
“Europe needs to prepare the US to wash European hands,” Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski said on Wednesday. “It’s a viable job. There’s a path towards it.. But we can’t pretend that we don’t hear what Americans are saying to us.”
