What does the US-EU trade war reflect?

According to RIA Novosti on July 13, Russian Senator Alexei Pushkov believes that the trade war between the United States and the European Union (EU) reflects the weakening economic power of the United States.

"The trade war between the US and Europe is beginning. It mainly reflects the weakening relative strength of the US economy in the 21st century," Senator Pushkov wrote on Telegram.

Mr. Pushkov added that the US can no longer compete with other centers of economic power in a "free market" environment. According to the senator, the US no longer has sufficient resources to pay for an "indestructible alliance" with Europe, but it will remain in place for the foreseeable future.

US President Donald Trump announced on July 12 that he would impose a 30% tariff on goods from the EU starting August 1, while previously applied sectoral tariffs would remain in effect.

The statement that Trump mentioned on the social media platform Truth Social noted that if the EU wanted to increase tariffs on US goods, Washington would “add this number” to the existing 30% tariff on goods from the EU.

Bernd Lange, head of the European Parliament's International Trade Committee, called on the European Union to retaliate "immediately" against the US amid President Donald Trump's tariff decision.

"We postponed the first phase of our response measures for a while, but I am convinced that they should now be implemented immediately. The first list of response measures will take effect on Monday (July 14), as planned, and the second should follow immediately," Lange said in an interview with Reuters.

According to the head of the European Parliament's International Trade Committee, this decision by the US administration is a "slap in the face in the negotiations".

Earlier, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, amidst the US imposing 30% tariffs on goods from the EU, announced her intention to continue signing a trade agreement before August 1st.