US VP Vance, EU chief talk tariffs in Rome
Vance expressed hope that the talks -- the first at such a high level since US President Donald Trump introduced his sweeping tariffs earlier this year -- "will be the beginning of some long-term trade negotiations".
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (R) welcomes Vice President JD Vance (C) and Secretary of State Marco Rubio at Palazzo Chigi prior their meeting in Rome on 18 May 2025. Picture: AFP
ROME - US Vice President JD Vance said on Sunday that Europe was "an important ally" despite disagreements over trade as he met European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Rome.
Vance expressed hope that the talks - the first at such a high level since US President Donald Trump introduced his sweeping tariffs earlier this year - "will be the beginning of some long-term trade negotiations".
They met alongside Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at her office in Rome, after all three attended the inauguration mass at the Vatican for Pope Leo XIV.
In televised comments at the start of the meeting, Vance said: "I've said repeatedly that I think Europe is an important ally of the United States, the individual countries within Europe are important allies of the United States.
"But of course we have some disagreements, as friends sometimes do, on issues like trade, and we also have many agreements and many things that we can work on together, and I'm looking forward to this conversation."
He added: "I think we'll have a great conversation and hopefully (it) will be the beginning of some long-term trade negotiations and some long-term trade advantages between both Europe and the United States."
For her part, von der Leyen -- who sat on one side of Meloni, with Vance on the other -- hailed the "very special and close relationship" between the US and the European Union.
"Everybody knows that the devil is in the detail, but what unites us is that at the end we want, together, to have a good deal for both sides," the EU chief said.
Trump announced a 20-percent tariff on most EU goods in April, along with higher duties on dozens of other nations, but has since frozen the measure until July.
The US president said on May 9 that he hoped to meet the "fantastic" von der Leyen, saying that the bloc wanted to "make a deal very badly" with the US.
Meloni, the far-right leader who has sought to be a bridge between Washington and Brussels, said she hoped the talks could be a "new beginning".
"We know how important is the relations between the EU and the US for a strong West, for our civilisation, also for our economic relations," she said.
The talks were also likely to cover Ukraine, and were attended by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.