EU: ‘Tariffs and Ukraine are separate issues’

Brussels – Following the announcement of the tariff deal, the agreement has largely disappeared. There is no joint EU-US statement clarifying, with a unified interpretation, the content of the new tariff regime, nor is it clear when it will be ready. “The US has made very clear commitments; we don’t know when they will take effect, but we know they will,” said Olof Gill, the European Commission spokesman responsible for trade. As with everything else, “questions should be directed to the US – we are in wait-and-see mode.”​

As far as Brussels is concerned, the work is done – all that remains is to finalize the list of exemptions from the 15% tariffs. The EU is patiently waiting. Officials are tight-lipped on the delays in Washington. Still, the deputy head of the spokesperson’s service, Arianna Podestà, wants to make one thing clear: “I do not believe that managing the conflict in Ukraine and trade relations with the EU are two interconnected dossiers.” In other words,​ a delay in the implementation of the tariff agreement does not depend on the US president’s activism in international politics.

Confirmation that they are two separate issues could come during the telephone summit, organized for Wednesday, 13 August, between the White House occupant, the Ukrainian president, some EU leaders, and the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. The situation at the moment seems clear, but Donald Trump’s continued objections to the Europeans, who are considered overly “friendly” to Volodymyr Zelensky, could influence the general picture.