Politico: Trump urged the EU to purchase more energy supplies from the U.S.

"I told the European Union that they need to offset their huge deficit with the United States by making large-scale purchases of our oil and gas," Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social. "Otherwise, it's tariffs forever."

European Commission representative Olof Gill did not clarify who was involved in the conversation hinted at by Trump but stated, "The EU and the US have deeply integrated economies with balanced trade and investments. We are ready to discuss with elected President Trump how we can further strengthen our already solid relationship, including discussing our common interests in the energy sector."

The Republican leader is campaigning for the 2024 US elections, promising to impose tariffs of 10-20 percent on all imports. He also threatened to introduce a 60 percent levy on all goods from China.

During his first term, Trump imposed a 25 percent tariff on steel imports and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum, which triggered a trade war with the EU, which retaliated with tariffs on American goods worth about $6 billion.

"Millions of jobs and billions in trade and investment on both sides of the Atlantic depend on the dynamism and stability of our economic relations," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in her message congratulating Trump on his victory in the November elections, clearly aiming to avoid a repeat of the 2018 scandal.

During the EU leaders' meeting in Budapest in the days following the seismic US elections in November, von der Leyen told reporters that the EU could increase purchases of American liquefied natural gas to "appease" Trump.

"Why not replace [Russian gas] with American LNG, which is cheaper for us and reduces our energy prices? This is something we can discuss, including our trade deficit," von der Leyen said.

The European Union ambassador to the US, Jovita Neluplshene, stated last month that the bloc would find countermeasures if Trump followed through on his tariff threats. "If there are any new trade frictions, the European Union will be ready to respond," she said.

According to the US Census Bureau, in 2023, the EU exported goods worth $576.3 billion to the US—almost 20 percent of the total export volume—making the US the EU's second-largest trading partner, noted in a publication by Politico.