The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, wrote today (May 19) and said, "I am delighted to meet again with US Vice President Vance. I would like to express my gratitude to the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, for hosting this important meeting. It was necessary, and it proved to be highly effective. Indeed, we found many commonalities, which is natural for such strong partners. In terms of trade, we both hope to reach an agreement that benefits the people and enterprises on both sides of the Atlantic. Our teams are working tirelessly to find solutions. We firmly believe that we will achieve this goal. We also discussed the Ukraine issue. We both hope for a ceasefire to bring about a just and lasting peace to Ukraine. I appreciate the efforts made by the United States to end this war. Finally, regarding defense - Europe is strengthening itself, which is a good thing. This means that the EU will become stronger, and NATO will benefit from it as well."
Commenting briefly: The relationship between the United States and Europe presents a complex situation with underlying tensions. Although both sides have outlined cooperative blueprints, structural contradictions in areas such as agricultural subsidies, energy trade, and technical standards have long existed between the US and Europe, leading to intense interest competition. Reaching a "good agreement" requires arduous bargaining, and any imbalance in the distribution of benefits behind the agreement may trigger new trade frictions at any time. On the Ukraine issue, the US is more inclined to continue consuming Russia through ongoing conflicts, while Europe, due to bearing the pressure of an energy crisis and refugees, shows more contradictory and wavering attitudes towards the conflict. There are potential differences between the two sides in terms of the intensity of sanctions on Russia, the scale of military assistance to Ukraine, and the conditions for negotiations. Additionally, although Europe's enhanced defense capabilities are incorporated into the NATO framework, it is essentially an attempt by Europe to enhance its strategic autonomy and reduce excessive reliance on American military protection. This conflicts with the US's desire to maintain its military dominance over Europe, and future games over military strategy and defense resource allocation may intensify.
The United States and Europe will continue to maintain a close cooperative relationship and remain allies in the short term because they share similar political systems, values, and want to ensure their own security. However, both sides want to gain more economic benefits and neither wants to lose out; they also have different calculations in international politics and regional situations. Moreover, Europe has always been thinking of breaking free from American control and becoming independent. Due to these reasons, there is both cooperation and contradiction between the US and Europe. While they are negotiating to solve problems, they are also subtly competing, making their relationship particularly complex. Whether the US and Europe can continue to cooperate well in the future remains uncertain.
Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1832531515989188/
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