‘Thinly spread’ bloc seeks this week to thrash out memorandum on critical minerals with the US, eyeing more formal instrument down the road
4-MIN READ4-MIN ListenFinbarr Berminghamin BrusselsPublished: 5:00pm, 15 Mar 2026Ambassadors from the EU’s 27 member states will huddle in Brussels this week to thrash out a memorandum on critical minerals with the United States.
Underpinning the debate will be a tension that girds many elements of the bloc’s dealings in 2026: capacity versus trust.
The bloc’s top diplomat Kaja Kallas told the Financial Times last week that “it is important for everybody to understand that the US has been very clear that they want to divide Europe. They don’t like the European Union.”
A senior official added: “We know we cannot trust them as far as we can throw them.
“Nobody is under any illusions about Trump and the US any more.”
