Trump has previously disliked the EU. Russia may have changed that

Relations between the US and the European Union have been strained this year over how to support Ukraine, with trade tensions and tariffs dominating a period of tense diplomacy between the power blocs.

But, in a somewhat ironic twist to the ongoing Ukraine war, a shared sense of frustration and suspicion over Russia’s refusal to come to the negotiating table is drawing the US and the EU closer together.

This week saw a united front with Washington and Brussels Announcing the approval package Targeted Russia’s oil and gas industry.

The US and EU are on the same page when it comes to pressuring Russia to end the war in Ukraine, US Ambassador to the European Union Andrew Puzder told CNBC on Thursday.

“President Trump is adamant that he wants to end this war … but when you see that the negotiations are not going the way you want them to, you have to step up the pressure,” Puzder told CNBC’s Silvia Amaro in Brussels.

He noted that the almost simultaneous approval of the US and European Union sanctions packages “is a sign that we need to step it up. We’re ready to step it up, and hopefully Vladimir Putin will get the message and understand that the war has to end. He doesn’t think he’s got that message yet, but hopefully this will drive it home,” he said.

US-EU relations have generally improved in recent months in many geopolitical and economic areas, Puzder said.

Wednesday, The US Treasury announced new sanctions on Russia’s largest oil producers Rosneft and LukoilThe European Union accepted it on Thursday 19th package of measures against MoscowBanning imports of Russian liquefied natural gas and targeting its finance industry and military industrial complex.

Ukraine and the European Union welcomed Washington’s latest actions Worried last week US President Donald Trump may side with Russia in resolving the war after he parroted the Kremlin’s position that Ukraine should cede Russian-held territory to Russia as part of a peace deal.

Trump appeared to reverse that stance on Wednesday, however That’s when he said he found talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin “going nowhere.” And he decided to cancel a summit with Putin in Hungary next week.

Sanctions, Trump’s criticism of Putin, needless to say and canceling individual discussionsOn Thursday elicited a stony silence from Moscow.

Puzder said that during his time as ambassador he had noticed that the EU and the US had become more aligned on several other issues, including China and immigration.

“I think we’re getting closer on those issues, and I think the trade deal was great for both sides,” he said, adding that he was better at negotiating with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen than any other country.

He has repeated that position and approach at various times this year, and while the European Union has denied the allegations, US-EU trade data Shows pleasure A trade surplus with the US for years (at least when it comes to goods)..

Council of Europe Figures for 2024, for example, show total trade between the EU and the US at 1.68 trillion euros ($1.97 trillion) but while the EU ran a trade surplus in goods, it posted a deficit in services with the US. When both goods and services are taken into account, the bloc had a surplus of about 50 billion euros last year.

That data informed Trump’s decision, initially, to impose a 30% tariff on imports of EU goods entering the states, much to the dismay of the bloc. They then reduced the rate to 15% as part of that A framework for a trade deal reached in JulyThat was higher than the 10% levy expected by the EU.

The EU agreed to buy $750 billion worth of US energy and invest an additional $600 billion worth in the US.

Ambassador Puzder said trade relations will improve with the implementation of the trade agreement.

“As we turn that framework into a final agreement, I think it will benefit both countries and continue this great transatlantic relationship that we’ve had for 250 years.”