2025-07-21 16:33
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2025-07-21 16:33
I call on our European allies to follow in our footsteps, if we put secondary duties to the countries trading with Russia – said the Minister of Finance, USA Scott Bessent on Monday. He also warned that if the United States did not communicate with the EU on a trade agreement, the Union state would feel it more.
Bessent referred in a Monday interview with CNBC to dissatisfaction of President Trump from Russia's attitude and the threat of imposing secondary duties on countries that buy Russian oil. As he said, although his ministry has its role in introducing financial sanctions, in his opinion, restrictions in the form of duties would be “groundbreaking”.
– President Trump has changed the paradigm by himself, because the Act contains a provision that – although we do not know what the term will be, whether it will be 10, 30 or 50 days – assumes that every country that will buy Russian oil covered by sanctions will be subject to additional customs tariffs, reaching up to 100 percent. The United States Senate agrees with President Trump that duties serve political purposes, which is revolutionary – Bessent said. He called the EU to follow the US example if such a solution was introduced. – President Trump changed the situation here and I appeal to our European allies who have an important game in front of them to follow our footsteps, if we introduce these additional tariffs – said the minister.
The politician also informed that in commercial conversations with China he intends to “in the very near future” start talks about the buying of oil by Beijing from Russia and Iran.
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Bessent also referred to commercial negotiations with the EU and Sunday reports of the Wall Street Journal about the fact that President Trump announced the attachment of additional demands in these conversations. These requirements were to surprise EU officials, who believed that they were close to the agreement, leaving the duties at 10 %, and encourage them to consider the scenario of retaliation. According to “WSJ”, after the last return, Germany came to the group of pressing hard attitude in conversations.
The minister estimated that if there was a trade war with the EU, it would be more severe for European countries.
– We have a gigantic EU sales deficit, so when it comes to this level of duties, it will have a greater impact on them. So I imagine that they will want to negotiate faster. But, as I have said many times, 27 different countries, and the (architecture) of the EU is applied. So we have this supranational organization that negotiations. However, I think that some governments (EU countries) are frustrated with the rate of negotiations, “Bessent said.
According to the new US proposal, cited by “WSJ”, duties on goods from the EU would be 15 percent. If the agreement does not reach, on August 1 duties are to reach 30 percent.
From Washington Oskar Górzyński (PAP)
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