SOFIA \u2014 European Council President Donald Tusk slammed U.S. President Donald Trump for pulling out of the Iran nuclear accord and threatening the EU with tariffs on steel and aluminum in by far the harshest rebuke yet by Brussels of the unpredictable American leader.<\/p>\n
In the Bulgarian capital Sofia for an EU leaders dinner that will focus largely on the fallout from Trumps recent policy moves, Tusk cited the \u201ccapricious assertiveness of the U.S. administration\u201d and said developing a unified response to Trump would be a main topic of discussion.<\/p>\n
\u201cLooking at the latest decisions of Trump, someone could even think: With friends like that, who needs enemies?\u201d Tusk, who is a former Polish prime minister, said in a statement to reporters.<\/p>\n
Reiterating the position of France, Germany and the United Kingdom, the three European powers that helped broker the Iran nuclear agreement, Tusk said that the EU would remain committed to the deal as long as Tehran fulfils its obligations. And he said that the EU would work to develop ways to shield European companies that continue to do business with Iran from any sanctions or other penalties imposed by Washington.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want the European Commission to be given a green light, so it is ready to act when European interests are affected,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker had a similar message at a joint press conference with U.N. Secretary General Ant\u00f3nio Gutteres in Brussels at which both leaders pledged their support for saving the agreement.<\/p>\n
Juncker said that allowing the Iran deal to die would \u201cseriously threaten peace and security\u201d in the region and urged leaders gathering in Sofia to come up with a \u201ca common and consensual approach\u201d on the issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must say that we have the means, we will use them, but we must face the truth: Means are limited but we will fully exploit the means we have at our disposal,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The break with the U.S. over the Iran deal is just the latest in a series of major breaches in the transatlantic relationship. To the dismay of EU leaders, Trump also pulled out of the Paris climate accords, moved the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, and imposed unilateral tariffs on steel against some trading partners.<\/p>\n
Tusk also demanded that Trump grant a permanent exemption to the EU from threatened tariffs on steel and aluminum, and he rejected as \u201cabsurd\u201d any assertion by the U.S. that such tariffs could be justified on national security grounds.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy objective is simple \u2014 we stick to our guns,\u201d Tusk said of the expected leaders discussion on trade. \u201cThat means permanent exemptions from U.S. tariffs on aluminium and steel.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added, \u201cThe EU and U.S. are friends and partners. Therefore U.S. tariffs cannot be justified on the basis of national security. It is absurd to even think that Europe could be a threat to the United States. We need to bring reality back into this discussion.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shortly after Trumps election, Tusk had joked that his European colleagues had taken to calling him \u201cOur Donald.\u201d But at the news conference in Sofia, he was clearly not in any joking mood. He darkly thanked Trump for delivering a healthy reality check to EU countries \u2014 historically Americas closest allies since the end of the World War II.<\/p>\n
The EU should also be \u201cgrateful to President Trump,\u201d Tusk said, \u201cbecause thanks to him we have got rid of all illusions. He has made us realize if you need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of your arm.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBesides traditional political challenges, such as the rise of China or the aggressive stance of Russia, we are witnessing today a new phenomenon \u2014 the capricious assertiveness of the U.S. administration,\u201d Tusk said.<\/p>\n
He called for the EU to unite \u201ceconomically, politically and militarily \u2026 like never before.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have no doubt that in the new global game,\u201d Tusk said, \u201cEurope will either be one of the major players or will be a pawn.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
SOFIA \u2014 European Council President Donald Tusk slammed U.S. President Donald Trump for pulling out o..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":79324,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[202],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-79323","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-finance"],"yoast_head":"\n