President of the European Council António Costa warned EU leaders that the bloc could lose its agency if it delegates key decisions to US President Donald Trump. This is reported by Bloomberg, writes UNN.
Details
According to people familiar with Thursday evening's discussion in Cyprus, Costa told European leaders that they cannot ignore the fact that US interests no longer fully align with EU interests.
He cited the US operation to detain then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the US and Israeli war against Iran, and Trump's stance on Ukraine as examples of disagreements between Washington and Brussels.
Costa emphasized that the EU must organize itself and develop an autonomous approach to protecting its own interests.
A spokesperson for his office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Addition
The publication notes that transatlantic relations have deteriorated since Trump's return to power: the US started a trade war with the EU, threatened to annex Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark, and considered weakening NATO guarantees.
The Trump administration sharply criticized Europe's liberal democratic model. In its national security strategy, the US stated its intention to support "resistance to Europe's current course" within EU countries, which many interpreted as support for far-right parties.
The document also accused European leaders of censorship and spoke of Europe's "civilizational disappearance" due to migration and economic decline.
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EU leaders met in Cyprus to discuss the consequences of the US-Iran war and the situation with energy markets. Costa emphasized the importance of opening the Strait of Hormuz.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen separately stated that a prolonged blockade of the strait would lead to rising energy prices and a slowdown in the EU economy.
Although the EU's dependence on energy from the Middle East is limited, its overall reliance on imports makes it vulnerable to price shocks.
EU countries have different approaches to the crisis but agree that the situation will worsen. Some leaders consider it potentially the biggest energy crisis in the region's history.
After the start of the US and Israeli war against Iran, oil prices sharply increased due to supply disruptions, particularly through the Strait of Hormuz, which led to a significant rise in energy prices in Europe.