EU member states and the European Parliament have so far failed to agree on the internal mechanism for implementing the trade agreement with the United States, despite pressure from Washington and the threat of new tariffs on European automobiles.
Negotiations between representatives of the European Parliament and EU countries took place on the evening of May 6 and lasted more than six hours, but no final decision was reached. According to Bloomberg, Cyprus, which currently holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union, confirmed that the parties discussed possible amendments to the transatlantic agreement concluded in the summer of 2025, but failed to reach a final compromise.
The issue concerns EU-US trade arrangements announced in July 2025. Under the agreement, Brussels is expected to abolish tariffs on a range of American industrial goods, while Washington maintains a baseline tariff rate of 15% on a significant share of European exports. Stricter conditions remain in place for steel, aluminum, and copper, including 50% tariffs.
The main dispute within the EU is related not so much to the principle of the agreement itself as to guarantees in case the United States fails to fulfill its obligations. The European Parliament insists on additional safeguard mechanisms, including the possibility of suspending concessions if Washington violates the arrangements. Some EU countries, by contrast, support a faster approval of the deal in order to avoid further escalation of the tariff conflict.
The situation escalated after threats by US President Donald Trump to raise tariffs on cars and trucks from the EU from 15% to 25%. Brussels fears that this would hit Germany and other countries with major automotive exports particularly hard. According to Reuters, most EU countries are interested in completing the procedure as quickly as possible, while the European Parliament demands stronger safeguards be built into the agreement.
Chairman of the European Parliament’s Committee on International Trade Bernd Lange stated that the negotiations had moved forward, but that “there is still a way to go” before a final decision is reached. The next round of consultations between the European Parliament and EU member states is scheduled for May 19 in Strasbourg.
For the European Union, this dispute is a test of its ability to conduct a unified trade policy under pressure from the United States. Some countries emphasize the need to quickly remove the risk of new tariffs for industry, while others fear that an overly soft EU position would create a precedent in which Washington could secure concessions through threats of additional duties.
For European businesses, the main uncertainty is currently linked to the automotive sector, industrial supplies, and transatlantic production chains. If the EU fails to coordinate its internal position in time, the risk of higher US tariffs will remain, and trade relations between the world’s two largest economic blocs could once again enter a phase of acute confrontation.
The U.S. administration has so far approved only one application under the new Trump Gold Card immigration program, despite earlier claims of potential revenue in the billions. This was stated by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Latnik.
The program, launched in December 2025, offers the opportunity to obtain residency in the U.S. under a scheme similar to a green card, in exchange for a $1 million investment following a security check. An additional fee of $15,000 is also required for expedited processing. At the same time, Latnik claims that hundreds of applicants are currently in the review process.
The modest current results stand in sharp contrast to the authorities’ initial expectations. Reuters notes that at the program’s launch, Latnik spoke of high interest and thousands of potential participants, as well as the potential to generate billions of dollars through the sale of such visas. AP also notes that the program was initially presented as a potential replacement for the EB-5 visa and as a tool for attracting wealthy foreigners and capital into the U.S. economy.
Thus, at this point, the program remains more of a politically significant initiative than a truly substantial source of revenue for the U.S. budget.
According to Serbian Economist, the U.S. has granted Serbia’s oil company NIS a new 60-day exemption from sanctions, allowing it to continue its operations at least until mid-June. Serbia’s Minister of Mining and Energy, Dubravka Jedović-Handanović, announced the license extension. This refers to an OFAC authorization that maintains NIS’s ability to import crude oil and reduces the risk of disruptions to the country’s oil refining infrastructure.
For Serbia, this decision has not only energy-related but also macroeconomic significance. NIS operates the country’s only oil refinery—in Pančevo—and therefore this latest license extension reduces risks for the domestic fuel market, logistics, and price stability.
Meanwhile, negotiations continue regarding the sale of Russia’s stake in NIS to Hungary’s MOL. According to Reuters, Washington has set a deadline of May 22 for the deal’s completion. Belgrade hopes that the change of government in Hungary will not derail the process, though a final agreement has not yet been formalized.
NIS’s ownership structure remains the key reason for sanctions pressure. According to the report, 45% of the company’s shares are owned by Gazprom Neft, another 11.3% are linked to Gazprom, while Serbia owns nearly 30%, with the remainder held by minority shareholders. It is precisely the withdrawal of Russian entities from NIS’s capital that the U.S. views as a condition for a sustainable resolution of the situation.
For the Serbian economy, the current delay means buying time, but not a final solution to the problem. Until the deal with MOL is closed, NIS and the country’s entire oil sector remain dependent on temporary licenses from Washington. This creates uncertainty for the energy market, the budget, and the investment climate, particularly regarding long-term planning for supplies and the modernization of refining.
https://t.me/relocationrs/2658
The results of a public opinion study conducted in March 2026 by the research company Active Group in cooperation with the information and analytical center Experts Club indicate a noticeable change in Ukrainians’ attitudes toward the United States. Overall, 44.1% of respondents evaluate the country positively, while negative attitudes account for 24.7%. Compared to August 2025, a decrease in positive assessments has been recorded (from 50.3%) alongside an increase in negative ones (from 18.0%), indicating a rise in criticality in perception.
The structure of responses shows that positive attitudes are predominantly moderate in nature. The share of “completely positive” is 9.8%, while “mostly positive” accounts for 34.3%. This means that the positive perception of the United States persists, but it is less pronounced than in the case of certain European partners.
At the same time, the share of neutral assessments is significant — 28.2%, indicating ambiguity in perception and the absence of a clear position among part of the respondents. Such a level of neutrality is typically characteristic of situations where public opinion is in a state of reassessment or reacting to changes in external factors.
The negative segment is substantial and continues to grow. 21.7% of respondents chose the option “mostly negative,” while another 3.0% selected “completely negative.” This means that negative attitudes toward the United States are gradually gaining more weight in the overall structure of assessments. The share of those who were undecided also stands at 3.0%.
The dynamics of changes between 2025 and 2026 indicate a clear trend: a decrease in positivity is accompanied by an increase in negativity. Unlike the stable or positively growing assessments regarding some other countries, in the case of the United States there is a gradual shift in the balance toward a more critical perception.
From an analytical point of view, this means that attitudes toward the United States in Ukrainian society are becoming less unequivocal. A significant share of positivity remains, but it no longer dominates as confidently as before. The growth of negative assessments and the high level of neutrality form a more complex and heterogeneous picture.
“We observe that the indicators regarding the United States are changing more dynamically than in the case of many other countries. This indicates a high sensitivity of public opinion to the political context and the information environment. Under such conditions, even short-term changes can quite quickly influence the balance of assessments,” said Oleksandr Pozniy, Director of the research company Active Group.
Overall, the results of the study show that the United States remains an important, but no longer unequivocally positively perceived partner. The increase in criticality and the decline in the level of support indicate a transition toward a more balanced and differentiated attitude, which may continue to evolve depending on developments in the international situation.
According to a study conducted by the Experts Club information and analytical center based on data from the State Customs Service, the United States is among the top five largest trading partners of Ukraine, with a trade volume exceeding $5.6 billion. At the same time, imports from the United States significantly exceed Ukrainian exports, forming a negative balance in bilateral trade.
The study was presented at the Interfax-Ukraine press center, and the video can be viewed on the agency’s YouTube channel. The full version of the study can be found at this link on the website of the Experts Club analytical center.
ACTIVE GROUP, EXPERTS CLUB, LATER, SOCIOLOGY, SURVEY, UKRAINE, USA
In its April report, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) left its forecast for Ukraine’s corn harvest in the 2025–2026 marketing year (MY) unchanged at 30.7 million tons and exports at 22.0 million tons.
The estimate of Ukraine’s ending corn stocks also remained unchanged at 2.95 million tons.
Globally, the USDA raised its forecast for corn production in the 2025-2026 MY to 1,301.07 million tons, exports to 207.29 million tons, and ending stocks to 294.81 million tons. The agency attributes the adjustments in the corn segment in the April report mainly to South Africa, where harvest and export estimates have been raised, while figures for Argentina and Brazil remain unchanged.
In its April report, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) lowered its forecast for wheat exports from Ukraine in the 2025–2026 marketing year (MY) to 12.5 million tons from 13.5 million tons, a decrease of 1.0 million tons (7.4%). Meanwhile, the estimate for Ukraine’s wheat harvest remains unchanged at 24.0 million tons, while the forecast for ending stocks has been raised to 3.93 million tons, an increase of 0.8 million tons.
Globally, the USDA raised its forecast for wheat production in the 2025–2026 MY to 844.15 million tons, while the estimate for global exports was lowered to 221.88 million tons, and ending stocks could rise to 283.12 million tons. Among major exporters, the agency raised its harvest estimate for the EU to 145.11 million tons and for Russia to 90.3 million tons, while increasing its forecast for Russian exports to 44.5 million tons.
