Vance Meets EU Commission President Von der Leyen in Rome on Trade

Vice President JD Vance met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Rome on May 17, 2025, to discuss U.S.-EU trade negotiations. The meeting came six weeks after the Liberation Day tariff announcement; von der Leyen was seeking a negotiated framework to reduce or pause tariffs on EU goods while the administration was conditioning relief on EU concessions regarding defense spending and regulatory alignment with U.S. tech and pharmaceutical companies.