EU Chief Suggested To Trump Buying US Gas Instead Of Russia's
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Friday said she proposed to
returning US leader Donald Trump that the United States could supply
more liquefied natural gas to the bloc to replace Russian energy.
With
Trump headed back to the White House after a campaign loaded with
threats of steep tariffs on foreign goods, the European Union wants to
avoid a damaging trade war with its biggest ally.
European Commission president von der Leyen said it was "very
important" that Brussels engaged with Trump around "common interests",
pointing to her first call with him on Thursday.
"Common interests are, for example -- this is one topic that we
touched upon, I would not say discuss -- it's the whole topic of LNG,"
she told reporters in Budapest where EU leaders were wrapping up two
days of discussions.
Europe still received "a lot of LNG via
Russia", von der Leyen said, adding: "Why not replace it by American
LNG, which is cheaper for us and brings down our energy prices."
She said the issue could also be discussed in relation to the EU's trade deficit with the United States.
During his campaign, Trump promised at least a 10 percent tariff on
all imports and other measures. The aim, he said, was to target
countries that had been "ripping us off for years" and to lower US trade
deficits.
The European Union has ramped up purchases of American
LNG since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, but has been unable to
completely cut its energy link with Moscow.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz also insisted there could be areas of compromise with the next US administration under Trump.
"Ultimately,
the growth and strength of the United States also depend on the fact
that it trades with the whole world, and in both directions," Scholz
said.
"From this point of view, I think the foundations are there
for developing a common policy," he told a press conference in Budapest
after leaders' talks.
