Gordon Sondland: Ursula von der Leyen will enable Brussels and Washington to 'reset the relationship'

(Patria) – US Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland stated that the new EU Commissioner will create conditions for Brussels and Washington to 'reset the entire relationship'.

'Things have started to stagnate a bit,' the ambassador commented on the current relationship between the US and the EU, adding that agreements had not been reached on several important issues.

Sondland made these remarks in an interview with Euronews journalists, during which he also touched upon the crisis in the Persian Gulf and the relationship between the US and Iran.

Commenting on the relationship with Iran and the crisis in the Persian Gulf, the US ambassador said: 'First of all, nobody wants war. Iran does not want war, and the US does not want war,' adding that he believes that 'these skirmishes, especially the drone incident, are just testing the United States. I think it is pointless to test the US because they would undoubtedly win any conflict – but we do not want to go in that direction,' Sondland asserted.

He also commented on the increasingly frequent incidents in the Strait of Hormuz: 'Almost a quarter of the world's oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz. It is unacceptable for the United States and most of the civilized world for Iran to do anything that hinders freedom of navigation through these straits,' Sondland said, urging all 'friends, our allies to sail freely and keep the sea lanes open for the benefit of all.'