Washington - Saba:
European Union countries are considering reducing their purchases of American weapons and imposing economic restrictions on the United States in response to the policies of the administration of US President Donald Trump.
According to the American newspaper *Politico*, the European proposals range from minor measures to severe ones that could even sever defense and economic ties with Washington. These measures include seeking alternative suppliers for weapons and ammunition, imposing retaliatory tariffs, eliminating intellectual property protections for US companies, and reducing reliance on major US technology companies.
This move was reinforced by growing European concern about Washington's use of defense technologies as a tool of pressure on Ukraine and the difficulty of meeting US demands for increased defense spending.
Pawel Kowal, an advisor to the Polish Prime Minister, confirmed that "confidence in the United States has been shaken," suggesting that Poland would not place new orders for US military equipment.
The European Commission has discussed the use of the "anti-coercion tool" against the United States, the EU's most powerful economic tool. It involves initial negotiations, followed by a gradual escalation, including the imposition of tariffs, exclusion from public procurement, and restrictions on intellectual property rights.
This comes in light of an executive order signed by Trump in early April imposing 10% tariffs on imports from 57 countries, as part of a trade policy aimed at reducing the US trade deficit.
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