Donald Trump’s trade threats and missile license denial strain US‑EU and Ukraine ties

The European Union has stopped reacting publicly to President Donald Trump’s threats of imposing tariffs, after he warned of a $1 billion antitrust fine against Google and announced new duties on several trading partners. EU officials say the bloc is adopting a more restrained approach, waiting for the outcome of the U.S. mid‑term elections and related congressional actions before taking further steps.

In a separate development, Trump told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that the United States would not grant a licence for the production of Patriot missile systems for Ukraine. He cited a shortage of U.S. long‑range missile stockpiles, which have been heavily used in the ongoing conflict with Iran, and warned that technology transfers must be handled with great caution.