Brussels:
European Fee head Ursula von der Leyen will not be attending Donald Trump’s inauguration in Washington on January 20, however hopes to have “early contacts” with the incoming administration, Brussels mentioned Friday.
“There was no invitation and there are not any plans to attend,” EU spokeswoman Paula Pinho mentioned. “We might be searching for early contacts with the brand new administration.”
Overseas leaders are by custom not invited to attend the inauguration of the US president, though Trump reportedly requested Chinese language President Xi Jinping to attend this time spherical.
Von der Leyen, who has been affected by extreme pneumonia in latest weeks, didn’t attend the inauguration of Joe Biden 4 years in the past.
The EU is nervously eyeing the return of the risky former actuality TV star to the White Home at a deadly second for Europe.
The incoming US chief has pledged to finish Russia’s struggle in Ukraine and European allies are determined to persuade him to not pressure a nasty deal on the continent.
They’re additionally scrambling to keep away from commerce tariffs that Trump has mooted.
Trump on Tuesday already set off a political firestorm by refusing to rule out utilizing army pressure to grab Denmark’s autonomous territory Greenland.
Von der Leyen insisted on Thursday that the EU “will at all times shield our residents and the integrity of our democracies and freedoms”.
However she insisted the “US is considered one of our closest companions and we’re dedicated to strengthening the Transatlantic bond”.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV workers and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
