VANCE MEETS VON DER LEYEN AND MELONI – The aim is to move forward trade talks
U.S. Vice President JD Vance met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and said he hoped their encounter would help move forward trade talks between the EU and the United States.
“Europe is an important ally of the United States… but, of course, we have some disagreements, as friends sometimes do, on issues like trade,” Vance said, sitting alongside von der Leyen and Meloni in Rome after they had all attended Pope Leo’s inaugural Mass.
The White House has imposed a 25% tariff on imports of steel, aluminum and cars, as well as a baseline 10% tariff on almost all countries, with additional “reciprocal” tariffs – making for a combined 20% in the EU’s case — lined up if negotiations during a 90-day pause fail.
Von der Leyen said the trade relationship between the European Union and the United States was the largest in the world and worth more than $1.5 trillion a year.
She added that the two sides had exchanged negotiating documents outlining the various areas of future discussion.
