The United States and the European Union sought to demonstrate unity at their summit in Washington on Friday amid the dire global situation in which the war in Ukraine continues and Israel’s ground campaign against Hamas in the Gaza Strip is about to begin. Ribbon. Their meeting at the White House included United States President Joe Biden; European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel have underlined their support for Kiev. However, they have failed to resolve disagreements between the two allies on trade issues, although Washington has given the green light to extend its exemptions to tariffs on steel and aluminum and talks are continuing.
In a speech before the start of the meeting, the second at the White House during Biden’s term, the US president stressed that the two blocs are together “to support the great people of Ukraine and face economic challenges.” “And they will join forces again to support Israel after attacks by the radical Palestinian militia and to set trade standards with China,” he added.
The White House summit, originally intended to address trade differences between the two economic blocs, was dominated by events in the Middle East. At the beginning of the meeting, the President’s Office submitted to the US Congress a request for funds in the amount of 105 billion dollars (almost 100 million euros), the majority of which – 61.4 billion – will be used to arm Ukraine so that the of Territories occupied by Russia can be retaken. Another 14 billion will be used to equip Israel in the fight against Hamas.
During the meeting, the United States received news of the release of two American women, mother and daughter, who are among the hostages held by Hamas since its invasion of Israel on October 7. In a subsequent statement, Biden expressed his satisfaction and assured that he would not give up until the remaining prisoners were released. The militia is holding up to 250 prisoners of various nationalities. “From the first moments of the attack, we worked day and night to free Americans held captive by Hamas, and we have not relented in our efforts to secure the release of those who remain,” the president noted.
In his opening remarks, Biden referred to humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, one of his priorities in the crisis as the war between Israel and Hamas has continued to develop. This week, during his less than eight-hour visit to Tel Aviv, he reached an agreement with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government for the passage of twenty trucks to carry water, medicine and food for the population of 2.3 million.
According to the American president, the humanitarian aid shipment will be able to reach the Gaza Strip in the next 24 to 48 hours. “I have the commitment of the Israelis and the Egyptian President (Abdel Fatah Al Sisi) that the border crossing will be opened.” “We need to rehabilitate the road, it was in very bad condition… I think that in the next 24 to 48 Hours that will bring in 20 trucks,” he explained.
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The president spoke to Netanyahu by phone this Friday, the White House said in a statement. According to the presidential office, the two leaders discussed plans to bring humanitarian aid from Egypt to the Gaza Strip. In addition, the head of state emphasized that Israel must “respect the laws of war, including the protection of the civilian population” in the open conflict against Hamas.
In their joint session, von der Leyen thanked Biden for his visit to Tel Aviv this week, where he managed to get Israel to accept humanitarian entry into the Gaza Strip. “It is important to show solidarity with the victims of the worst attack on Israel since the Holocaust. “Israel has the right to defend itself in accordance with humanitarian law,” emphasized the German politician. And he also assured that “events in the Middle East will not distract us from our unwavering support for Ukraine.” For his part, Michel emphasized that “more than ever, the world needs a strong alliance between the US and the EU to address these challenges.”
Both heads of state and government later met separately with the US President. Michel, who was the first to arrive in the West Wing of the White House, also spoke to Biden first. Von der Leyen, for her part, held a dialogue with the head of state during a walk through the rose garden. None of the three made a statement at the end of the summit.
Behind the good words was a lack of progress in the trade disputes that have dragged on since President Donald Trump’s term in office (2017-2021). “Sometimes there are differences,” admitted the President of the European Council. “That is why we are here: to work together to find solutions that serve businesses and workers.” In the joint statement after the meeting, the EU and the US referred to “progress” in negotiations to ensure access to critical minerals.
The United States had lifted tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Europe on the condition that it reached an agreement before the end of this month on measures to curb overcapacity in non-market economy countries such as China and promote clean steel. Washington hopes Brussels will impose tariffs on imports of the Asian giant’s cheap steel, which it says is flooding the market. The EU points out that it must conduct an investigation under World Trade Organization rules.
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