EU Chief "Willing to Negotiate with Trump... Prioritizing Protection of European Interests"

Ursula von der Leyen Emphasizes "Protecting Europe's Interests"
Expresses Willingness to Cooperate with the Trump Administration
Warns Against Tariff War and Highlights Economic Ties with the U.S.
Stresses Importance of the Paris Agreement and Climate Change
Calls for Diversified Foreign Relations and Constructive Engagement with China
Announces Strengthening Strategic Partnership with India
Reaffirms Continued Support for Ukraine

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Union (EU) Commission, expressed on the 21st (local time) her willingness to cooperate with the Donald Trump administration while stating that she would protect the "interests of Europe." She made it clear that while she would avoid a bloody competition through retaliatory tariffs with the Trump administration as much as possible, she would not stand idly by if Europe were unilaterally harmed.

In her speech at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF, Davos Forum) held in Davos, Switzerland, von der Leyen said about the United States, "Our top priority is to discuss our common interests early and be ready to negotiate," adding, "We will be practical (in our relations with the U.S.)." However, she insisted, "We will always uphold the principle of protecting our interests and values. That is the European way."

Reuters Yonhap News

Von der Leyen also reminded that a tariff war would be detrimental to both sides while highlighting the economic scale and trade volume between Europe and the United States. She explained, "Nowhere in the world is the economy as integrated as ours (the EU and the U.S.)," adding, "The trade volume between the two sides is 1.5 trillion euros (about 2,240 trillion won), accounting for 30% of global trade." She emphasized that many things are at stake for both sides by listing specific figures such as the 3.5 million jobs created by European companies in the U.S. and that more than 50% of the liquefied natural gas (LNG) imported by Europe is American-made.

She also spoke about the Paris Climate Agreement, which President Trump hinted at withdrawing from again during his inauguration the day before. Von der Leyen said, "The Paris Agreement remains the hope of all humanity," emphasizing that climate change is still the top global agenda, citing large wildfires in California and hurricanes occurring across the United States.

She expressed concern about countries weaponizing export controls and tariffs. Von der Leyen stated, "We must work together to avoid a 'race to the bottom,'" declaring her intention to diversify foreign relations, including expanding cooperation with third countries.

She delivered a particularly conciliatory message regarding China. She said, "We will continue to reduce economic risks (in relations with China)," but also added, "We believe we must work constructively with China to find solutions that meet mutual interests." Mentioning that this year marks the 50th anniversary of EU-China diplomatic relations, she evaluated it as "an opportunity to deepen relations with China and, if possible, expand trade and investment relations."

Additionally, she announced that the first overseas destination of the newly launched "von der Leyen 2nd term" Commission would be India. Von der Leyen previewed, "Together with Prime Minister Modi, we intend to upgrade the strategic partnership with India, the world's largest and democratic country."

There was no separate mention of the Ukraine war in the speech that day. However, after the speech, in response to a related question from the moderator, von der Leyen emphasized, "We will continue to support Ukraine under any circumstances," and stressed, "No matter what happens in the future, it is important for us that Ukraine remains an independent country and that decisions regarding its own territory are made by Ukraine."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.