“They lie dead in agricultural fields”: Trump on the tragedy in Ukraine and the possibility of peace

Donald Trump remains true to his management style: blunt statements, personal stories and, of course, brilliant ideas that he says can change the world. Whether it’s a tax reform that will turn America into a business paradise, or a call to Saudi Arabia to influence global oil prices, or a personal story about project delays in the EU, Trump presents all this with a sense of his own dominance in the world.

Stop the war in Ukraine? It’s easy, just lower oil prices, and the conflict is over. Too much red tape in Europe? The recipe is ready: we speed up the processes. Wasteful energy reform? Stop “green fraud”. Does the American economy need investment? Not a problem — because, according to Trump, “billions and billions” are already heading to the United States.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Trump wielded both a whip and a gingerbread man. It happened to Europe, and to the predecessors of the Biden administration, and to the Saudis.  The first term of Trump’s presidency has taught us that not every Trump emotion framed as a threat is realized in real life. So a lot has been said, but what will be the actions of the administration of the new US president, we will see in the near future.

“I love Europe, but…”

At the World Economic Forum in Davos, President Donald Trump once again raised the issue of the “unfair” attitude of the European Union to the United States. In his emotional manner, he accused the EU of creating barriers that hamper trade between the two economic giants and hinted in no uncertain terms that the time for change had come.

“The EU treats us very unfairly, very badly“, said Trump. According to him, the value-added tax (VAT), which is widely used in Europe, is a “large and significant” barrier for American goods. The president also complained about the complicated procedure for admitting American products to European markets, in particular, agricultural products and cars.

“They send us cars by the millions and they don’t even let our cars inTrump fumed, adding that American companies have to deal with indirect tariffs, which he said are “very unfair.”

The president shared a story about a complaint from the head of a major American airline. “He said to me: “Sir, this is terrible. Landing in Europe is brutal, they charge us for everything””, — said Trump, alluding to the difficulty of doing business in Europe. And interestingly, according to this aviation manager, the situation with the EU is even “worse than in China.”

Trump also mentioned the multibillion-dollar fines that the EU imposed on American tech giants. He cited the example of Apple, which was forced to pay $15-16 billion, and Google, which was also hit by European regulators. “They’re looking at Facebook now, and I’m sure they’ll find a way to get billions more,” the president said with a hint of irony.

“These are American companies. Like them or not, these are our companies. And they shouldn’t do that.”, — Trump emphasized, calling such actions “form of taxation“.

Nevertheless, Trump tried to add a touch of diplomacy: “I love Europe. I love European countries”. But his call was clear — the EU should speed up processes and make trade rules less burdensome.

“Hundreds of billions of dollars in deficit from the EU — this does not suit anyone,” — the president concluded, adding that the US is going “do something about it”.

Should we expect a trade war or new tariffs from the US? Given Trump’s speech, the EU looks set to receive another call from the White House.

Trump on EU bureaucracy: five years for simple approval? Is this a joke?

At the meeting in Davos, Donald Trump shared his vision of the bureaucracy of the European Union, in particular, recalling his own experience with delays at the EU level. His story, as always, was full of personal examples and ironic epithets about European leaders. “I have many friends in the EU and I know the leaders of the countries well. They’re great people, but they’re frustrated with the time it takes to get projects approved.”, — Trump noted. According to him, the process of harmonizing environmental statements or other permits is being dragged out to the point of absurdity.

The president told how during his “simple private life”, before his political career, he had a big project in Ireland. “My life back then was wonderful and simple. You may have heard of it”, — Trump added ironically.

He explained that it took just over a week to get the necessary approval in Ireland. But that was only part of the story. “I was told that now I need to get permission from the EU and it will take five or six years. I asked: “You must be joking?””

Trump did not hide his irritation: “It wasn’t anything too complicated. It was a big investment that could benefit the project, but five or six years? It’s absurd”.

The President concluded that business at the EU level faces excessive bureaucracy, which scares away investors. “A lot of people say it’s a huge problem. And I realized this from my own experience,” he noted.

As always, Trump sent a clear message: the European Union should seriously consider streamlining processes if it wants to remain competitive on a global level.

America is the best place to do business

In his energetic manner, Donald Trump reminded the world why his administration is a driver of economic progress and why the United States is the most attractive place to do business. He announced massive tax cuts, urged global manufacturers to invest in America and talked about unprecedented optimism among small businesses.

“Our majorities in the House and Senate — along with the presidency, of course — are working to pass the largest tax cut in American history.”Trump said. That would include significant tax cuts for workers, families and manufacturers, he said. And importantly, even the initial tax cuts initiated by Trump in his first term will be surpassed.

Trump also addressed global business with a clear message: “Come make your product in America and we’ll offer you some of the lowest taxes on Earth. But if you choose to manufacture outside of the US, then you have to pay a duty.”. According to him, this duty will be aimed at strengthening the economy and reducing the national debt.

And the crown prince can round the amount of investments up to a trillion

“WITHand there will be no better place for the Trump administration to create jobs, build factories and grow companies than the United States.”, he emphasized. The president also mentioned the rapid growth of economic confidence, which the country has not seen “for decades, maybe never.”

Trump gave vivid examples of success. Since his election, small business optimism has risen by a record 41 points in one month, the highest in history. And large companies rushed to invest in the US economy. SoftBank has announced an investment of $100 to $200 billion. Oracle, SoftBank and OpenAI announced a large-scale project in the infrastructure of artificial intelligence, the total cost of which reached $500 billion. Saudi Arabia plans to invest $600 billion, but Trump, jokingly, urged the crown prince to round this amount to a trillion.

The President emphasized that the investments of large companies and countries in the USA have already exceeded trillions of dollars. “Billions and billions of dollars are being invested in America”, he said, hinting that this is just the beginning.

In conclusion, Trump noted that the administration has created ideal conditions for business: low taxes, transparent rules of the game and stable economic policy. “America is the best place on Earth to create jobs, and I invite everyone to join us.”, he concluded.

Trump on the war in Ukraine: “It’s time to end it”

In his speech, Donald Trump expressed his belief that the war between Russia and Ukraine could end sooner if OPEC and Saudi Arabia lowered oil prices. He also stressed the importance of a peaceful resolution to this conflict and highlighted the scale of human losses the world has not seen since World War II.

Trump openly appealed to Saudi Arabia and OPEC to lower the price of oil. “You have to knock her down.” he said, implying that the high price of fuel actually supports the ongoing conflict. “If the price fell, the Russian-Ukrainian war would end immediately”, – the president is convinced.

Trump also expressed surprise that this was not done before the election: “It didn’t show a lot of love. It surprised me a little.” According to him, high oil prices are largely responsible for the escalation of the conflict, which has already resulted in millions of human casualties.

The president painted a shocking picture of the consequences of the war. “It’s an absolute killing field“, said Trump, emphasizing that the conflict has claimed millions of lives of both Ukrainians and Russians.”No one had seen anything like it since World War II. They lie dead in flat fields – agricultural lands that have turned into places of mass death.”.

Trump also said that his administration’s efforts for a peaceful settlement of the war are now actively underway. “This is very important to do“, he emphasized. The President called on all those involved to do everything possible to end the conflict, stressing that the scale of human suffering and losses cannot be ignored.

Trump called on world leaders to act because, according to him, it is time to end the war, which has already gone down in history as one of the most tragic. “And when you see the pictures of the fields that I see, nobody wants to see that. You will never be the same“, he said.

How they react to Trump’s statements in the EU

EU leaders are different are evaluated Donald Trump’s strategy for Ukraine. Latvian President Edgars Rinkevičs noted that the statements from the White House and the US Congress indicate an understanding of the importance of supporting Ukraine and that Russia is part of the problem, not its solution. Rinkevichs also noted that the US is still formulating its strategy, and interaction with Ukraine can help create a clear policy for achieving peace.

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski added that Trump issued an ultimatum to Putin: either he creates the conditions for ending the war, or he has to accept the consequences. Sikorsky emphasized that Putin often overestimates his capabilities, and this could be the moment to make a deal.

The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metzola, noted that capitulation is not in the interests of everyone, neither Ukraine, nor the EU, nor the USA. She also noted that while aid contributions to Ukraine have been significant — the US spent $175 billion and the EU 136 billion euros — the EU has sometimes been too slow, vague and not flexible enough in its support.

Thus, EU leaders evaluate Trump’s strategy as important, but emphasize the need for a clear and effective strategy to achieve peace, which includes the active participation of Europe.