Von der Leyen won't attend Trump's inauguration but seeks 'early contacts'

Ursula von der Leyen has not received an invitation to be the inauguration of Donald Trump arsenic the 47th US president but she is seeking to found "early contacts" with the caller administration, the European Commission confirmed connected Friday.

Von der Leyen, a staunch advocator of transatlantic relations, is presently recovering from terrible pneumonia successful Hanover, Germany. As a result, the Commission president has cancelled each her outer engagements for the archetypal fractional of January.

She is moving from location and has not yet delegated immoderate tasks.

"There are nary plans to be the inauguration," Paula Pinho, the Commission's main spokesperson, said connected Friday.

"We volition beryllium seeking aboriginal contacts with the upcoming administration. Whether that volition beryllium earlier the 20th of January oregon conscionable aft that, I cannot archer you for the moment."

Pinho did not specify what signifier these "contacts" would take. Bloomberg antecedently reported astir the Commission's volition to acceptable up a gathering with Trump successful Florida.

Von der Leyen has not spoken with Trump since they talked connected the telephone successful aboriginal November, a fewer days aft the US statesmanlike election, the spokesperson noted.

The conversation, which von der Leyen had described arsenic "excellent," touched upon defence policy, Russia's warfare connected Ukraine, commercialized and energy.

The Commission main aboriginal revealed she had broached the anticipation of expanding EU imports of American LNG, which was seen arsenic an connection to debar the across-the-board tariffs that Trump has threatened to slap connected overseas goods.

Von der Leyen's comments made headlines and reflected the bloc's willingness to appease the Republican's demands to make a functional relationship.

These hopes took a tumble this week aft Trump refused to regularisation retired utilizing subject unit to prehend Greenland, the immense land that belongs to the Kingdon of Denmark. "I don't cognize if Denmark has immoderate ineligible close to it, but if they do, they should springiness it up due to the fact that we request it for nationalist security," helium said successful an hour-long property conference.

His words were rebuked by Greenland's and Denmark's premier ministers, arsenic good arsenic by the French government. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke of "uneasiness" and stressed that "borders indispensable not beryllium moved by force."

By contrast, the Commission reacted with utmost caution and refused to explicitly condemn Trump's subject threats against the territorial integrity of a subordinate state.

Greenland, dissimilar Denmark, is not a portion of the 27-country bloc but enjoys a peculiar presumption arsenic an overseas territory which includes entree to EU funds and state of question for Greenlanders, who are considered EU citizens.

It took 2 days for von der Leyen to people a connection successful effect to Trump's remarks, done successful coordination with European Council President António Costa.

"The EU volition ever support our citizens and the integrity of our democracies and freedoms," she said connected societal media.

"We look guardant to a affirmative engagement with the incoming US Administration, based connected our communal values and shared interests. In a unsmooth world, Europe and the US are stronger together."

Trump's instrumentality comes with enormous stakes for Brussels and the full bloc, peculiarly erstwhile it comes to subject and fiscal enactment for Ukraine, which the billionaire has threatened to chopped down. Trump's much-repeated pledge to find a speedy solution to the warfare has stoked fears Ukraine would beryllium forced into achy territorial concessions and permission Europe much susceptible to aboriginal Russian aggression.

Additionally, the president-elect has ramped up unit connected NATO allies to drastically boost their defence spending from 2% of GDP to 5%, which not adjacent the US meets.

The imaginable of tariffs has besides spooked EU capitals arsenic it could aggravate the bloc's economical woes.