German FM: Europe Must React 'Robustly' When US Crosses 'Red Lines'

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Wednesday that Europe needs to find a “new balance” to its relationship with the United States in the light of the challenges posed by the administration of President Donald Trump.

News ID: 70734

Date: 14 June 2018 - 14:53

TEHRAN (Defapress)-Among the challenges posed by the Trump administration, he named its tearing up of the Paris climate deal, its abandonment of the Iran nuclear deal, threats of sanctions against European partners as well as protectionism, World News reported.

“We Europeans have to act as a conscious counterweight when the US crosses red lines,” he stated, adding that “where the US government aggressively throws into question our values and interests, we have to react more robustly”.

That would require the EU to work with Washington where possible, fill the voids in areas where the US is withdrawing, and push back where it is crossing red lines, the top diplomat stressed.

Jean-Claude Juncker, head of the European Commission, said earlier this month that the bloc was prepared for immediate punitive measures, including tit-for-tat tariffs that would affect some $7.5 billion worth of US exports.

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