Šefčovič: Trade agreement with the USA has a security dimension

EU Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič admitted on Monday that the new agreement with Washington serves not only economic but also security policy purposes – and thus represents a de facto concession to the US to secure aid to Ukraine.

In his statement, Šefčovič stressed that the agreement – which provides for a flat tariff of 15 percent on most EU exports – is “not just about trade” but is embedded in a broader geopolitical context.

"It's about security, it's about Ukraine, it's about the current geopolitical instability," Šefčovič told reporters. "I can't go into all the details that were discussed yesterday, but I can assure you: it wasn't just about trade."

The statements follow growing concerns in Europe about the reliability of US support for Ukraine, which remains under massive fire more than three years after the start of the Russian invasion.

Donald Trump – who publicly fell out with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this year – has repeatedly criticized previous US aid and pressured both Kyiv and Moscow to end the war.

Recently, Trump has become increasingly frustrated with Vladimir Putin's refusal to agree to a ceasefire and threatened "secondary tariffs" of up to 100 percent on countries that buy Russian oil.

At the same time, Trump promised to deliver Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine – but emphasized that these would have to be financed by EU states.

Šefčovič suggested that the trade agreement should be seen as an “additional price” to bring Washington into geopolitical alignment with Brussels.

“This agreement has added value because I believe that we can only move forward from here,” said the Commissioner.

An agreement that divides

The agreement concluded on Sunday, which also provides for the purchase of US energy worth 750 billion US dollars over the next three years - including oil, gas and nuclear energy - has meanwhile met with sharp criticism from Moscow.

“The agreement is clearly directed against Russia, as it prohibits the purchase of Russian oil and gas,” said Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president and current deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán – one of Trump's few allies in the EU and a close partner of Putin – strongly condemned the agreement and accused the US president of having "eaten Ursula von der Leyen for breakfast".

France – which has become a strong supporter of Ukraine in recent years – also rejected the agreement and called on the Commission to use its so-called “ trade bazooka ” against US services exports to the EU.

Several other Member States, including Germany, Italy , Slovakia and the Czech Republic, expressed cautious support, but stressed that many details of the agreement were still unclear.

(cs,jl)