In 2025, the falling out between the US and Western Europe has become clear. It encompasses a multitude of spheres, but is most evident when it comes to the conflict in Ukraine.

On March 12, the US imposed a 25% tariff on steel and aluminium. The EU has announced that it will impose EUR8 bn worth of punitive tariffs on American imports starting April 1, 2025, and from mid-April by another EUR18 bn.

The trade war between the two allies is escalating. The GDP of the European Union, together with the UK, Norway and Switzerland, is $24.5 trn dollars, comparable to the $29 trn US GDP.

The interdependence of the West’s two main components is most serious. Trump launched an offensive on the continent because Europe had a trade surplus of $200 bn in 2024. At the same time, the US exports EUR100 bn worth of services more to the EU.

The English magazine The Economist noted on 03/13/2025 that Europe has many levers of influence on the United States. Europe, for example, is home to the world’s largest commodity traders (there are about 900 such firms in Switzerland alone), its share in world trade is estimated at 35% for oil, 60% for metals, 50% for grains and 40% for sugar.

The largest........

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