US President Donald Trump threatened to halt trade with Europe "on many things" if Canada becomes an associate member of the EU.
On Wednesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the start of work to make Canada the first associate member of the European Union. She did not specify what exactly this status would mean. According to Politico, citing sources, after von der Leyen's speech, the statement about Canada's associate membership caught EU countries off guard.
Relations between the US and Canada deteriorated sharply in 2025 after US President Donald Trump imposed 25% tariffs on Canadian imports, citing national security threats and drug trafficking. In response, Ottawa took mirror measures.
Despite a temporary freeze on tariffs and attempts to settle disputes, Washington subsequently raised the duties, setting them at 50% for steel and aluminum. According to Bloomberg, a recent round of trade talks collapsed at the last moment because of the position of US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.