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Biden unlikely to rush to restore ‘frictionless cooperation’ with EU, expert says

The expert also believes that Biden will take a tougher Russian stance

Joseph Biden AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

Joseph Biden

© AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

BRUSSELS, November 9. /TASS/. Presumptive US President-elect Joe Biden won’t hurry to restore "frictionless cooperation" with the European Union, Simonas Vileikis, a Brussels political adviser to the British consulting company Portland Europe, told TASS on Monday.

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"The EU is probably welcoming Biden's victory with open arms, but strategically I do not think the new US president will be in a hurry to restore the pre-2016 largely frictionless cooperation era," he pointed out. "Trump has increased American negotiating positions enormously on China, global trade, NATO or WTO reform just to name a few and Biden will want to capitalize on them," the expert added.

As for climate change, "Biden will act fast and the US will return to the Paris Climate Agreement because his electorate demands it," Vileikis noted. "Rejoining the WHO is also almost certain, which will be sold as part of the domestic COVID battle. However, on many other issues I believe that American commercial interests will prevail and proper negotiations will have to take place," he said.

When speaking about the prospects for Russia-US relations, the expert emphasized that "Biden is an old cold-warrior so I do see him taking a tougher Russian stance also because of the Democratic party, which blames Putin for many of their ailments."

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