"This is in the interests of the United States": Macron urges Trump to wage trade war with China, not Europe

French President Emmanuel Macron has said that Washington should focus on the trade confrontation with China, not Europe. He expressed hope that he had convinced US leader Donald Trump not to impose new duties on European countries.

In an interview with Fox News, Macron emphasized that the United States cannot simultaneously wage a trade war with both China and Europe. According to him, the imposition of new tariffs on European goods is contrary to the interests of America itself.

"Come on, you can't have a trade war with China and Europe at the same time. I hope I have convinced him," the French president said after meeting with Trump in Washington.

Macron said that "Washington's priority is to impose tariffs on China" and that a trade war with Europe would be contrary to US interests. He also told Trump: "It is very important for you not to impose new tariffs."

According to Politico, earlier this month, Trump imposed 25 percent tariffs on a wide range of imports, including those from Europe. He has also threatened "reciprocal" tariffs in response to a number of rules and taxes that Washington considers discriminatory, including value-added taxes levied by the vast majority of countries.

Macron said he had tried to convince Trump not to impose these duties, emphasizing that Europe had done nothing to deserve US retaliation.

"VAT is not a tariff, and I argued that," Macron said, adding that there was no US tariff.

The French leader also pointed out that the transatlantic trade conflict would prevent European countries from fulfilling Washington's demands to increase defense spending. According to him, to finance security initiatives, Europe must maintain stable economic relations with the United States.

"How do you want us to increase security and defense spending if we are in a trade war?" Macron said.

Macron's visit to the White House to discuss the war in Ukraine was the first by a European leader since Trump abruptly reversed the US position, accusing President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of being a "dictator without elections" and opening talks with Russia, the aggressor country, on how to end the three-year war.

The two presidents exchanged compliments, hugs, and jokes. However, they were unable to agree on how to end the Russian-Ukrainian war and how to prevent a full-blown transatlantic trade war. 

As reported by OBOZ.UA, Macron confirmed Trump's words after his visit to Washington that the Russian-Ukrainian war could end in the coming weeks. According to him, a diplomatic process should lead to a ceasefire.

Only verified information on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!