Brussels’ zero-for-zero tariff offer not enough, U.S. president says, but indicates he’s open to a deal if the bloc commits to closing the trade deficit in goods.

Archive: https://archive.is/2025.04.08-053057/https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-says-eu-must-buy-350b-of-us-energy-to-get-tariff-relief/

The European Union will have to commit to buying $350 billion of American energy to get a reprieve from Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs, the U.S. president said late Monday, dismissing Brussels’ offer of “zero-for-zero” tariffson cars and industrial goods.

Trump’s comments at a White House press conference were in response to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen saying earlier Monday that the EU had offered to drop the bloc’s tariffs to zero on cars and industrial goods imported from the U.S. if Trump reciprocated.

  • humanspiral
    3·
    5 days ago

    The figure happens to be the entire 2024 energy imports including coal. All at fairly high historical prices, and while reducing FF use from aggressive/successful clean energy deployments. US already has 45% share of LNG imports, and 16% of oil, 32% of coal.

    2 big problems with it:

    1. committing to buy just from one supplier is certain to come with extortionist pricing. It is a global warming disaster, as well as an energy independence (from renewables) disaster.

    2. US fuel prices would skyrocket as a result of exports competing with local demand. Middle east allies of US would increase exports to US to fill demand, and letting US profit from resale of ridiculously long shipping routes.

    Price fully determines how much of a gift to US oil companies this is, though US consumer hit doesn’t matter. Locking EU into FFs is a certain climate disaster. This also harms US property owners the most.

    EU is no stranger to US subjugation. In 2022 they had nearly $700B in FF imports. It’s industrial base varies with energy prices, which for some reason do not give industry flexible rates permitted by renewables. While EU tonnage imports have gone slightly down, the big difference in $ value is from 2022 extortionist pricing.

    It’s always easier to manufacture a higher priority than global warming related collapse of civilization, but whether Europe declines slowly protecting its industries all the way down, or fulfills US empire’s wet dream of fully funding alone a war on Russia on its own, it’s people are programmed for both, and there is a fair likelihood of EU continuing their submission to the US with this deal.