US President Donald Trump shared an article on his social media account, quoting Russian President Vladimir Putin. In the article, Putin is cited as saying that the Trump administration will soon bring order to Europe, as Washington’s allies will quickly “stand by their master.”
The post, which included a link, appeared on Trump’s official Truth Social account on Sunday, along with a series of similar posts that linked to media reports praising his administration’s policies. None of the posts included a comment.
The article, published by CNBC, featured Putin’s statements from an interview with journalist Pawel Sarubin of Rossija 1, in which he claimed that Brussels has always oriented itself towards Washington and will do so under Trump, regardless of the rejection of his policies by a range of EU state and government leaders.
“I assure you that Trump, with his character and persistence, will quickly bring things in order there. And you will see, soon they will all stand by their master and softly wag their tails” Putin added.
CNBC cited Putin’s words in the context of Trump’s plans to impose tariffs of 25 percent on all steel and aluminum imports to the US, including those from the EU. This move is reminiscent of the tariffs imposed by Trump in his first term, in 2018, which were based on national security concerns.
On Monday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot announced that the EU would take countermeasures against the US if the proposed tariffs are implemented. “There is no hesitation when it comes to defending our interests” the minister told TF1. The European Commission will “designate the sectors that will be subject to these retaliatory measures.”
Trump has already imposed tariffs of 25 percent on all imports from Mexico and Canada and 10 percent on imports from China, citing concerns over illegal immigration and drug trafficking. After talks with Ottawa and Mexico, the implementation of the tariffs was delayed by 30 days, as both countries agreed to increase border security. Some tariffs on Chinese goods were also suspended due to delivery disruptions and packages of low value to and from China regained their duty-free status.