Trump: EU must buy $350 billion worth of American energy to get a tariff deferral

The European Union will only be able to get a reprieve from US tariffs if it agrees to buy $350 billion worth of energy from the US.

This was stated by the US President Donald Trump, Politico reports.

This was his response to the proposal of the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen to eliminate tariffs on cars and industrial goods between the US and the EU. At the time, she stressed that the European Union is also ready to respond with countermeasures and protect itself from the indirect effects of the US tariffs by reorienting trade.

Trump explained that the US has a trade deficit with the EU of exactly $350 billion, and, in his opinion, this can be solved quickly — Europe simply needs to commit to buying American energy. According to him, then this deficit could be reduced in just a week. Trump noted that for him, a trade surplus or deficit is of great importance — he perceives it as a financial statement of profit and loss.

The idea of buying more American energy is not new — von der Leyen has proposed it before, including buying liquefied natural gas. But the US has not provided a clear plan for what that might look like in practice, Politico writes.

Separately, Trump added that even though the EU has reduced tariffs on American cars to 2.5% or even zero, this is not enough. In his opinion, Europe uses not only tariffs, but also so-called "non-monetary barriers" — safety standards and regulations that allegedly make it impossible to sell American goods in Europe.

The US president said he did not consider the current EU offer sufficient to change his decision on tariffs. He stressed that he was ready for a fair deal, but only if it was beneficial to the US, not others. He said his priority was America first.

Trump also recalled that the United States was at its strongest from 1870 to 1913, when the country lived off high tariffs and did not yet have an income tax. He criticized the introduction of such a tax, believing that it would be better to impose tariffs on foreign companies rather than on its own citizens.

When asked by a journalist whether the tariffs were temporary, Trump replied that they could be permanent tariffs or part of negotiations, because, according to him, America needs more than just the abolition of tariffs.

• On April 2, US President Donald Trump announced that he would impose tariffs on goods from other countries. The new tariffs will apply to more than 180 countries and territories (not including Russia, North Korea, Cuba and Belarus, which are already under sanctions). A 10% tariff was imposed on Ukraine.
• Trump has threatened a 200% tariff on EU spirits if the bloc implements a planned 50% tariff on US bourbon. France and Italy, major exporters of wine and spirits, have expressed concern. At the same time, Brussels has fewer targets than Washington in the trade war on goods tariffs, as EU imports of US goods in 2024 amounted to €334 billion, while EU exports to the US were €532 billion.

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