President of European Commission meets Swinney ahead of Trump visit
Ursula von der Leyen travelled to Glasgow on Saturday ahead of her meeting with the US president at his Trump Turnberry resort in Girvan, Ayrshire, to discuss maintaining trade relations.
However, she met with Mr Swinney on Saturday evening to discuss the UK's relationship with the European Union, and the wars in Gaza and Ukraine.
Mr Swinney said: 'I was pleased to welcome the president of The European Commission Ursula von der Leyen to Scotland.
'During our meeting, I outlined Scotland's continued support for the European Union's leadership in demanding free and safe humanitarian aid in Gaza, alongside efforts to bring an end to the unbearable suffering unfolding.
'I also took the opportunity to reiterate Scotland's steadfast commitment to Ukraine and the country's commitment to work with European partners on key issues, including energy.'
On Friday, Ms von der Leyen announced her plans on X, formerly known as Twitter, and wrote: 'Following a good call with @Potus, we have agreed to meet in Scotland on Sunday to discuss transatlantic trade relations, and how we can keep them strong.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
12 minutes ago
- The Independent
Trump visit live: Starmer to push US president to resume role in Gaza ceasefire talks
Sir Keir Starmer is expected to press Donald Trump on the revival of ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas as the UK joins efforts to airdrop aid into Gaza. The prime minister will travel to meet the US president during his visit to Scotland amid mounting global anger over the humanitarian conditions in the war-torn enclave. Ceasefire talks in Qatar ground to a standstill this week after America and Israel withdrew negotiating teams from the country, with US special envoy Steve Witkoff accusing Hamas of a 'lack of desire' to reach an agreement. The deal under discussion was expected to include a 60-day ceasefire, and aid supplies would be ramped up as conditions for a lasting truce were brokered. Sir Keir will raise Washington's work with partners in Qatar and Egypt during his talks with Mr Trump and seek to discuss what more can be done to urgently bring about a ceasefire, it is understood. They will also discuss the recently agreed US-UK trade deal and the war in Ukraine.
Reuters
13 minutes ago
- Reuters
French ministers say EU-US trade deal has merits but is also unbalanced
PARIS, July 28 (Reuters) - French government ministers said a framework trade deal between the United States and European Union had some merits - such as exemptions for some key French business sectors such as spirits - but was nevertheless unbalanced. "The trade agreement negotiated by the European Commission with the United States will bring temporary stability to economic actors threatened by the escalation of American tariffs, but it is unbalanced," wrote French European Affairs Minister Benjamin Haddad on X. That view was echoed by France's industry minister Marc Ferracci, who said more talks - which could last weeks or months - would be needed before the deal could be formally concluded. Ferracci told RTL radio that more needed to be done in terms of rebalancing the EU's trade relations with the U.S. "This is not the end of the story," Ferracci told RTL.
Reuters
43 minutes ago
- Reuters
Heineken cheers EU-US trade deal as tariff problems grow
LONDON, July 28 (Reuters) - Dutch brewer Heineken ( opens new tab on Monday welcomed an EU-U.S. trade deal and said it was weighing all options to deal with growing tariff challenges long-term, including shifting manufacturing. The world's No.2 brewer sends beer, especially it's namesake lager Heineken, to the U.S. from Europe and Mexico, and has also suffered from indirect impacts on consumer confidence in key markets like Brazil. Nevertheless, it reported a 7.4% increase in organic operating profit in the first half, versus analyst expectations of 7%, crediting growth in once-difficult regions like Africa and Asia and cost savings. CEO Dolf van den Brink welcomed the certainty brought by the trade deal clinched on Sunday, which avoided tariffs on EU goods of 30%. All options are being considered to mitigate tariffs long-term, including shifting manufacturing, he said, adding that such moves were capital intensive and would first need more consistency in policy. "We look at all options from... continuing with our current set up, a more hybrid version, or otherwise," he told journalists on a call. "If and when we deem them financially to be more attractive in the mid- to long-term, we would for sure explore them." Heineken continues to expect annual profit growth of between 4% and 8%. The company said its second-quarter revenues and volumes rose 2.1% and fell 1.2% respectively on an organic basis, versus analyst forecasts of a 1.2% rise and 0.3% decline. The brewer has been locked in difficult, prolonged price negotiations in Europe, which offset a boost from a late Easter and good weather to hit sales in the region, including its key non-alcoholic portfolio.
