The European Parliament signals its readiness to suspend ratification of the US trade agreement due to the lack of clear explanations on Washington's new customs policy. The US Supreme Court's decision to abolish a significant part of the tariffs creates additional turbulence in transatlantic economic relations. Against this background, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is preparing to present a coordinated EU position in Washington, which indicates an attempt at a consolidated response from Brussels.
The European Parliament proposes to suspend ratification of the EU-US trade agreement
The chairman of the European Parliament's International Trade Committee, Bernd Lange, announced his intention to propose a "freeze" of the ratification process of the EU-US trade agreement. According to him, such a decision will be in effect until detailed information on trade policy is received from the Donald Trump administration. He reported this on February 22 in X.
"A complete customs chaos from the US administration. No one can figure it out anymore – only open questions and growing uncertainty for the EU and other US trading partners. The “Turnberry Agreement” and the legal basis on which it was built have changed. Are new tariffs based on Section 122 not a violation of the agreement? Before taking any further steps, clarity and legal certainty are needed,” Lange said.
He added that on February 23 he would propose to the European Parliament’s negotiating team to suspend legislative work until a legal assessment and clear commitments from the US are received.
Witkoff: New round of war talks to take place within three weeks
US President’s special envoy Steve Witkoff said that a new round of talks between the delegations of Ukraine and Russia could take place within three weeks. In an interview with Fox News he noted that the talks could potentially lead to a meeting at the highest level.
“Jared (Kushner – ed.) and I have put on the table proposals for both sides that will bring them back to negotiations within three weeks, and perhaps this will lead to a summit between Zelensky and Putin. There may be a trilateral summit later, but the president (Trump – ed.) will still have to decide on that,” he said.
According to Witkoff, Trump will not participate in the meeting without confidence in the possibility of achieving a result, and also expressed hope for “good news” in the coming weeks.
Reuters: Trump plans a visit to China in early April
US President Donald Trump may visit China from March 31 to April 2 for talks with Xi Jinping. This was reported by Reuters, citing an administration representative.
The information appeared against the background of the decision of the US Supreme Court, which canceled most of the tariffs imposed by Trump, in particular against China.
Before the court ruling, the visit was expected to focus on continuing the trade truce reached earlier. After the removal of 20% tariffs on Chinese exports under the IEEPA law, new issues have arisen in the relationship, including US support for Taiwan and allies in the Indo-Pacific region.
“This is going to be crazy,” Trump told foreign leaders about the upcoming visit to China. “We have to put on the biggest demonstration you’ve ever had in the history of China.”
Merz to present common EU position on tariffs in Washington
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said he would travel to Washington for talks with Donald Trump on tariff policy, Politicoreported. The meeting is expected to take place in early March.
“I will go to Washington with a coordinated European position,” Merz said, emphasizing that tariff policy is a matter for the entire European Union. EU countries are currently assessing the consequences of the February 20 US Supreme Court ruling that struck down global import tariffs imposed by the Trump administration.
Yonhap: South Korea considering joining PURL
South Korean authorities are examining the possibility of expanding support for Ukraine, including through participation in the PURL program, which involves the supply of US weapons. Yonhap news agency reported this, citing a foreign ministry official.
“The government is continuing consultations with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on various measures to support Ukraine,” a foreign ministry official said. According to a diplomatic source, a NATO-led framework program for the purchase of US weapons for Ukraine is being considered, but even if Seoul joins, its contribution may be limited to non-lethal equipment. Since the start of the full-scale war unleashed by the Russian Federation in 2022, South Korea has provided Ukraine with only humanitarian and non-lethal assistance.
Photo: president.gov.ua
Author: Danylo Pievchev