🇺🇸❌🇪🇺 Donald Trump pushes for 15%-20% minimum tariff on all EU goods

Donald Trump has escalated his demands in trade negotiations with the EU, pushing for a minimum tariff of 15 per cent to 20 per cent in any deal with the bloc, according to three people briefed on the talks.

The US president’s hardened stance aims to test the EU’s pain threshold after weeks of talks on a framework agreement that would have maintained a baseline tariff of 10 per cent on most goods.

Trump has also been unmoved by the latest EU offer to reduce car tariffs, and would be happy to keep duties on the sector at 25 per cent as planned, said people familiar with the negotiations.

Maroš Šefčovič, EU trade commissioner, gave a downbeat assessment of his recent talks in Washington to the bloc’s ambassadors on Friday, said two people briefed on the meeting.

If Trump insists on permanent reciprocal duties of 15 per cent to 20 per cent they would be as high as they were when trade talks began in April, and could push Brussels towards retaliation, said the senior EU diplomat. The US has also imposed sectoral tariffs of 50 per cent on EU steel and aluminium.

“We don’t want a trade war, but we don’t know if the US will leave us a choice,” they said.
A second EU diplomat added “the mood has clearly changed” in favour of retaliation. “We are not going to settle at 15 per cent,” they said.

📝: European industry, what wasn’t killed by Brussels’ stupid regulations and its dumb energy policies, relies on exports to the U.S. to make a profit. Without those exports, European industry either goes bankrupt or moves to other countries.

Trump’s intention is clear: force European industry to move to the U.S. which he will likely succeed in doing even if a 15% tariff is imposed, let alone a 20-25% or the original 30-35% tariffs announced.

Due to high energy prices, strict environmental regulations and workers’ rights European manufacturing is expensive. It cannot compete with Asian manufacturing, Chinese, Japanese, South Korean or Indian as all of the aforementioned countries produce more and far cheaper.

While stealing Europe’s industry may be beneficial on the short term for Trump as it will create new jobs for the U.S. economy, in the long run, it will make Europe weaker and even more reliant on the U.S. for defense which is not what Trump wanted.

Trump’s tariffs will crush Ursula von der Leyen’s plans of reestablishing European dominance on the world stage and set Europe on a path of political instability and unrest.

🔗 https://archive.ph/2025.07.18-172133/https://www.ft.com/content/43c98c4b-8772-4279-ad55-e46bd22409de

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🇷🇺❌🇺🇦 — Nationwide Air Raid Alarm in all of Ukraine following the departure of 2x Mig-31K Frontline bombers

🇨🇳🇻🇳 China, Vietnam Plan First Joint Army Drill Amid US Tariffs

China and Vietnam plan to hold their first joint army training exercise this month, a sign of deepening military ties as the two countries grapple with US tariff policies.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-07-20/china-vietnam-plan-first-joint-army-drill-amid-us-tariffs

https://archive.ph/fl7ER

🇨🇳 Arnaud Bertrand on X: It's done: China just launched the construction of the Yarlung Tsangpo dam project

It'll be by far the world’s largest hydroelectric facility, generating 3 times more electricity than the Three Gorges dam, 300 billion kilowatt-hours.

This dam project alone could power almost a quarter (21.6%) of all US households, since the average U.S. household consumes about 10,500 kilowatthours (kWh) of electricity per year and there are 132 million households in the US.

It could also power the entirety of France and Italy COMBINED, since the average electricity consumption in France is 2 223 kWh per person per year, the scale is almost too unfathomable to believe.

Fascinatingly, part of the plan, as per China's “Eastern Data, Western Computing” initiative, might be AI

It's not only that the dam project will generate immense amounts of electricity that can be used for computing, but also the fact that it's located in naturally cold Tibet with close to freezing water temperature - perfect to cool down data centers for free.

As Keji Mao - who worked as a Research Fellow at the powerful NDRC (the top organization for China's economic planning and policymaking) - puts it: "China will transform industrial capacity into electricity, electricity into computational power, and computational power into ever higher levels of advanced productivity."

🧵https://x.com/RnaudBertrand/status/1946854532043899326

🇷🇺 Russia reveals drone production facility in Alabuga — hundreds of Shaheds being prepped for attacks

For the first time, Russia has shown the inside of its drone assembly plant in Alabuga, where Iranian-made Shahed-136 (known in Russia as “Geran-2”) drones are assembled and upgraded.

Photos and videos show dozens of drones in various stages of production. These are the same UAVs used to bomb Ukrainian cities.

🏭 The Alabuga plant is considered one of Russia’s key defense industry sites and has already been targeted multiple times by Ukrainian drone strikes. Despite the damage, production continues — and is reportedly expanding.

🔗 NEXTA

#BREAKING

🇹🇭❌🇰🇭❗️ — Ongoing Armed clashes at Thai-Cambodian Border!

🇹🇭❌🇰🇭❗️ — Thai media Khaosod News reports clashes between the Royal Thai Army and the Royal Cambodian Army are taking place near the Ta Muen Thom Buddhist Sanctuary

Cambodian soldiers opened fire opposite the Moopa base, 200 meters east of Ta Muen Thom Sanctuary. Thai soldiers retaliated, clashing ensued.

On July 24, 2568, reports indicate that after Lieutenant General Boonsin Padklang, Commander of the Second Army Region, signed Order No. 213/2568 of the Second Army Region (Special) regarding the closure of border crossings along the Thai-Cambodian border and tourist attractions in the responsible area, banning both Thai and foreign tourists, and 3. suspending visits to Ta Muen and Ta Kwai Sanctuaries by tourists for security system improvement.
This is to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Thailand, ensure the safety of lives and property of Thai citizens from further incidents of this nature, and express disapproval of the use of anti-personnel landmines, which violates sovereignty and contradicts the Ottawa Convention.

Most recently, at 07:35 AM on Thursday , in the area of Ta Muen Thom Sanctuary, the Suranaree Task Force (Second Unit) sent a border coordination team to inform Cambodia that Thailand was closing Ta Muen Thom Sanctuary to tourism. The discussion failed, as Cambodia did not agree.

Subsequently, Thai officials installed concertina wire to enclose the path up to and around Ta Muen Thom Sanctuary. Cambodian soldiers then set up firearms facing the path up to Ta Muen Thom Sanctuary, and the sound of a Cambodian drone flying reconnaissance around Ta Muen Thom Sanctuary was heard.

Six Cambodian soldiers, fully armed (with RPGs), approached the barbed wire fence placed by the Thai military and shouted for negotiation, but the Thai military confirmed that initial discussions had already taken place.

Then, at 08:20 AM, Cambodian soldiers opened fire opposite the Moopa base, 200 meters east of Ta Muen Thom Sanctuary. Thai soldiers retaliated in self-defense.

https://x.com/KhaosodEnglish/status/1948201905001505167

#BREAKING

🇰🇭❌🇹🇭❗️ — Cambodia Downgrades Diplomatic Ties with Thailand to Lowest Level, Recalls All Diplomats, Urges Thailand to Do Likewise

➡️ Fresh News, a Cambodian news agency, reported that after Thai authorities announced a downgrade of diplomatic relations with Cambodia, recalling the Thai Ambassador to Cambodia and expelling the Cambodian Ambassador from Thailand on Wednesday, in retaliation, the Cambodian government has decided to downgrade diplomatic relations with Thailand to the lowest level, maintaining only the Second Charge d’Affaires.

➡️ It has also ordered all Cambodian diplomatic staff stationed at the Cambodian Embassy in Bangkok to return to Cambodia, while the Thai Embassy in Phnom Penh must do the same.

➡️ Cambodia stated that this action came after Thailand recalled its ambassador and expelled the Cambodian ambassador from the country, citing unclear and baseless reasons regarding the landmine incident.
Thailand's baseless accusations are seen as an attempt to shift blame onto Cambodia, making Thailand's diplomatic actions appear unreasonable and demonstrating a lack of willingness to resolve disputes through negotiation, opting instead for confrontation.

➡️ Reporters noted that the Second Charge d’Affaires is a specific diplomatic position used to downgrade diplomatic relations to the lowest level, meaning there is no ambassador or minister-counselor stationed in that country, and the embassy is instead managed by the lowest-ranking official.

🔗 @KhaosodEnglish

🇹🇭🪖❗️ — Royal Thai Army calls on Thailand population to refrain from phtotographing and filiming military movements of Thai military convoys!

➡️ On July 24, the Royal Thai Army requested media and citizens to refrain from photographing or sharing information about military troop movements, equipment, or vehicles throughout the country.

➡️ This is to prevent security information from being misused by ill-intentioned groups, which could compromise military operations and safety.

➡️ The Royal Thai army asks for public cooperation to avoid disseminating information that could affect personnel operations and to enable full protection of sovereignty and citizen safety.

🔗 Khaosod English (@KhaosodEnglish)

🇹🇭📞🧑‍🎓 — Kingdom of Thailand's Education Commission ordered all schools and universities near the border zone to shut down following the clashes with Cambodia

The Basic Education Commission (OBEC) has ordered the closure of all schools and suspension of classes in Thai border areas where clashes have occurred, following the military confrontation between Thai and Cambodian forces near Prasat Ta Muen Thom in Phanom Dong Rak District, Surin Province.

In the event of escalating violence from the clash, students have been instructed to take shelter in prepared bunkers for safety. All schools located along the border area have now intensively prepared emergency response plans.

🔗 Khaosod English (@KhaosodEnglish)

🇰🇭❌🇹🇭 — Footage shared on social media shows the escalating intensity of clashes between Thai and Cambodian forces, with a marked increase in artillery fire and sustained exchanges across contested border sectors.

🔗 GMI (@Global_Mil_Info)

🇰🇭❌🇹🇭 — Footage by Khmer locals showing units of the Royal Cambodian Army using MLRS to strike Thai Army positions along the Ta Muen Thom sanctuary area,

🇰🇭❌🇹🇭 — Footage shared on social media shows Cambodian Royal Army soldiers exchanging fire with Thai troops at border positions.

🔗 POPULAR FRONT (@PopularFront_)

🇰🇭🚀🇹🇭 — Video shared on social media shows Cambodian Royal Army launching Grad MLRS rockets into Thailand as the border clashes erupt

🇰🇭❌🇹🇭 — Footage shared on social media reportedly shows Cambodian forces engaging Thai military positions across the border

Bush is seen burning following the clashes

🔗 GMI (@Global_Mil_Info)