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President von der Leyen and former President Donald Trump have agreed to meet following a brief exchange on Saturday, as shared in a tweet by European Commission official Paula Pinho.
This marks the first interaction between the two leaders since before Trump’s inauguration in January. Until now, Trump had notably prioritized meetings with national leaders like Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, repeatedly sidelining von der Leyen.
The European Union is under growing pressure to secure a diplomatic breakthrough. Without a new trade agreement by the summer, EU exports to the United States could face 20 percent tariffs, with additional 25 percent duties applied to cars, steel, and aluminum.
While the EU has prepared to implement retaliatory tariffs, it has so far refrained, following Trump’s decision to offer a 90-day reprieve for trade negotiations earlier this month. Despite the pause, a 10 percent duty on all European imports to the U.S. remains, and EU officials are pushing to eliminate tariffs entirely on both sides.
The decision to pursue a meeting follows Meloni’s visit to Washington about a week ago, where she advocated for renewed dialogue between Trump and the EU leadership.
The Trump team has not yet officially confirmed that a meeting has been scheduled.
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