The European Commission recently acknowledged tweets from Donald Trump concerning EU-US trade matters. These comments arrive as the EU has significantly increased its imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the United States over the past three years. In the third quarter of the year, the US emerged as the largest supplier of both petroleum and non-pipeline gas to the EU. The United States accounted for over 15% of the EU's oil imports and nearly 38% of its LNG imports during this period.
Trump took to his Truth Social platform to address the European Union, emphasizing his expectations for the EU to balance its trade deficit with the US through substantial oil and gas purchases.
"I told the European Union that they must make up their tremendous deficit with the United States by the large-scale purchase of our oil and gas. Otherwise, it is TARIFFS all the way!!!" – Donald Trump
Despite Trump's announcement, EU officials have not confirmed receiving any formal ultimatum through official channels. Olof Gill, the EU's trade spokesman, described Trump's comments as "frequent comments from the president-elect" and downplayed the tariff threat, noting that it is not a new development.
"The EU has a substantial trade in goods surplus with the US, whereas the US has a substantial trade in services surplus vis-á-vis the EU, and that is not always reflected in some of the types of posts you're referencing" – Olof Gill
The EU has diversified its energy sources, moving away from dependence on Russia amidst ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The United States was the second-largest supplier of gas to the EU last year, following Norway, which provided 30% of the EU's gas demand. Meanwhile, US exports met a fifth of the EU's total gas requirements in the same period.
Stefan de Keersmaecker, deputy chief spokesperson for the European Commission, confirmed that they had seen Trump's tweets but did not elaborate further on any official communications.
"I can only confirm that we have seen the tweets, the basis on which you have raised your questions" – Stefan de Keersmaecker
As Trump prepares for his return to the White House in a month, EU officials emphasize their readiness to engage in discussions with him to foster stronger ties between the two regions. Olof Gill highlighted the EU's openness to dialogue with Trump to enhance an already robust relationship, particularly in the energy sector.
"So what we want to get across, and what we have said on numerous occasions, including from the top level President von der Leyen down, is that we are ready to discuss with President-elect Trump how we can further strengthen an already strong relationship, including by discussing our common interests in the energy sector" – Olof Gill
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