European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen agreed to a bad tariff deal with Washington over concerns about the number of US troops in Europe being reduced.

Axar.az reports that this was said by Jacob Kierkegaard, a senior fellow at the Brussels-based Bruegel think tank.

“Everyone admits that from a trade perspective, it was a terrible deal for Europe. But if you are a responsible leader, you have no choice but to keep NATO’s leading military power, Trump’s America, on your side,” the author said.

According to him, Leyen had prepared a tough response to Washington’s tariff threats, but then backed down and agreed to the deal during her last meeting with Trump in Scotland.