France: The US has a lot to lose

In his assessment during a weekly press conference, Lemoine emphasized the importance of transatlantic economic relations and reacted against protectionist policies.

"We are the US's largest trading partner," Lemoine said, noting that the US would have a lot to lose if it were to enter into a trade war with Europe.

When asked by a journalist, "Is the US on Europe's side or against it regarding Ukraine?" Lemoine replied, "We have a historic relationship with the US and maintain an intensive dialogue on various areas of cooperation."

Lemoine stated that the new US administration is displaying a new stance not only on Ukraine but also on increasing customs duties in trade, but that dialogue is ongoing.

"WE ARE READY TO DO OUR PART FOR PEACE IN UKRAINE"

Expressing that contacts for peace negotiations in Ukraine are increasing, Lemoine emphasized that this war primarily concerns "Ukraine and the Ukrainians," and subsequently European security.

Sending the message, "We stand with Ukraine and are ready to do our part for security and peace in Europe," Lemoine stated that the extraordinary summit on Ukraine held in Paris on February 17 and the video conference held by EU leaders yesterday were aimed at strengthening support for Ukraine.

Emphasizing that Ukraine should benefit from strong and valid security guarantees, Lemoine said that the exchange of ideas on this matter should continue with European partners just as it does with the US.

Lemoine stated that sending a peacekeeping force to Ukraine is only one of the deterrent elements that would prevent a renewed attack by Russia, but that the priority in Ukraine negotiations is the provision of security guarantees.

Pointing out that these security guarantees are related to issues such as equipping and arming the Ukrainian army with new equipment or the country's membership in NATO, Lemoine stated that security guarantees cannot be reduced solely to the deployment of a peacekeeping force.

Donald Trump announced on February 9 that he would soon impose a 25 percent customs duty on steel and aluminum imports from Europe. He also reported that aluminum and steel coming from Canada and Mexico would be subject to tariffs.

The EU Commission had announced that they would retaliate if additional tariffs were applied to EU products.

News Source: AA