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EU says talks with Trump resulted in no common position on Russia

US President Donald Trump (L), flanked by European Council President Donald Tusk, leaves after a meeting with EU officials at the bloc's headquarters, on the sidelines of the NATO summit, in Brussels, on May 25, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

Senior officials at the European Union have revealed that talks with US President Donald Trump have failed to reach a united stance on Russia.

European Council President Donald Tusk said on Thursday that despite common grounds between the EU and the US on the conflict in eastern Ukraine the two sides have yet to reach a united position on Russia.

"I'm not 100 percent sure that we can say today -- 'we' means Mr. President and myself -- that we have a common position, common opinion about Russia," Tusk said after meeting with Trump in Brussels.

He, however, added that when it came to the conflict in Ukraine, “It seems that we were on the same line.”

The EU official was clearly making a reference to Trump’s policy vis-à-vis Russia, which significantly differs from that of his predecessor Barack Obama.

The US and its allies in Europe accuse Russia of having a major hand in the crisis in eastern Ukraine, an allegation denied by Moscow.

Meanwhile, Trump is accused of collaborating with the Russians in the run-up to the presidential election last year, as reports at the time suggested that he had used Russian intelligence to undermine the campaign of his rival Hilary Clinton. Moscow and Trump have denied the claim.

The US president has been in favor of keeping sanctions on Russia over the crisis in Ukraine, but he has yet to harshly criticize Russia as it was sometimes the case with Obama.

Tusk said the EU and the US were on the same page on some issues, including the need for both sides to expand trade and strengthen cooperation on climate protection.

US President Donald Trump (R) prepares to leave after a meeting with EU officials at the European Union Headquarters in Brussels, on May 25, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who also participated in Thursday’s meeting, "insisted on intensifying trade cooperation which is a win-win situation for both sides,” a European Commission spokeswoman said.  

Trump was tough on the EU during his presidential campaign, vowing that he would withdraw from some of the agreements with the bloc to help spur the US domestic economy. 


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