Trump recognises the ‘weaponisation’ of trade, former EU top diplomat Catherine Ashton says

Published connected 06/05/2026 - 12:35 GMT+2•Updated 12:41

Former EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and European Commissioner for Trade Catherine Ashton told Europe Today that European businesses and consumers request consistency during tumultuous periods, peculiarly arsenic US President Donald Trump threatens European producers with a 25% tariff connected cars and car parts, alleging non-compliance.

To bash this, it is important to spot that Trump recognises commercialized arsenic a “weapon”, the British nationalist said.

“Being a transactional president is the mode that helium (Trump) wants to spell forward, and I deliberation that’s however Europe – oregon immoderate state – has to respond: by trying to enactment done that,” Ashton explained.

“We bash person a president that sees... The willingness of others to benignant of speech to him astir commercialized arsenic both: an important portion of the conversation, but successful a sense, astir to weaponise it, to marque wide that if we don't bash things that helium thinks are truly important, past we can't expect the benefits.”

The comments travel arsenic the EU scrambles to find the close effect to Trump’s precocious threatened tariff threats. Responding to the announcement, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said "a woody is simply a deal" and the EU was “in the last stages” of implementing a cardinal pillar of the statement designed to destruct tariffs connected a wide scope of American products.

French President Emmanuel Macron said connected Tuesday the EU has “tools to respond” to tariff threats, should they materialise, referring to the EU’s anti-coercion instrument.

Ashton, who was European Commissioner for Trade successful 2008 and helped the EU and US lick a commercialized quality implicit beef, said that the existent commercialized main Maroš Šefčovič is 1 of the astir experienced commissioners successful work – and helium is up for the occupation finalising the woody from the EU's side.

“I don't privation to springiness him proposal due to the fact that helium volition cognize this peculiar squad acold amended than I do,” she said.

“He was determination erstwhile I was determination and he's inactive determination and there's a bully crushed for that.”

‘Additional challenges necessitate corporate action’

Ashton went onto reason that bigger geopolitical issues, specified arsenic the developments successful the Middle East regarding Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz and warfare involving the US and Israel, request cooperation.

“With everything happening globally, particularly successful the Middle East close now, we are entering a play wherever further challenges volition necessitate corporate action. The much we tin enactment unneurotic connected trade, the better,” she said.

US and Israeli forces launched the warfare successful Iran connected 28 February, aft which Iran efficaciously closed the Strait of Hormuz, a captious way for lipid and state exports, portion American forces aboriginal launched a blockade of Iranian ports.

Trump has indefinitely extended what was initially a two-week ceasefire, but the struggle and its wide economical fallout stay unresolved and sending vigor prices skyrocketing.

During her tenure arsenic the EU’s apical diplomat from 2009 to 2014, Ashton helped broker the impermanent suspension of Iran’s atomic activities for authorisation relief. She advocated arsenic portion of the P5+1 group, which comprised the US, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Russia, and China.

With Iran’s main negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf informing to the US connected Tuesday “we person not adjacent started yet”, Ashton said the information present is the escalation of rhetoric, with nary off-ramp successful sight.

“I deliberation there's a antithetic attack that's being taken (now). It's overmuch much to rise the somesthesia alternatively than to little it,” Ashton expanded, adding: “But the European Union's ever had a role, a imaginable role, to play successful each of this. Now it is astir trying to find and enactment retired precisely what that could be.”