“What I believe is definitely essential for everyone to grasp is that the U.S. has been very clear that they need to divide Europe,” European Union International Coverage chief Kaja Kallas stated. File
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European Union International Coverage chief Kaja Kallas stated the U.S. needs to “divide Europe” and doesn’t “just like the European Union” in an interview revealed by the Monetary Occasions on Friday (March 13, 2026), after greater than a 12 months of turmoil in transatlantic relations.
“What I believe is definitely essential for everyone to grasp is that the U.S. has been very clear that they need to divide Europe. They don’t just like the European Union,” Ms. Kallas instructed the FT.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly focused the European Union in his second time period, imposing tariffs on member nations and others and speaking about annexing Greenland – a transfer that would successfully finish the NATO alliance.
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This week, Mr. Trump’s administration launched commerce investigations into the EU and different nations, together with China, India, Japan, South Korea and Mexico, over what it stated had been unfair commerce practices. Below the investigation, the nations might face new tariffs by this summer season, after the U.S. Supreme Courtroom tore down a lot of Mr. Trump’s tariff program final month.
Ms. Kallas stated the US’ strategy to the EU echoed ways utilized by the bloc’s adversaries, in keeping with the FT.
EU nations shouldn’t be seeking to deal with Mr. Trump bilaterally, she stated, and as an alternative ought to cope with him collectively, “as a result of we’re equal powers after we are collectively,” the FT reported.
On defence, nonetheless, Ms. Kallas stated the bloc wanted “to purchase from America as a result of we don’t have the property or the probabilities or the capabilities that we want,” including that Europe wanted to put money into its personal defence trade.
Printed – March 13, 2026 12:49 pm IST