European Union officials have defended landmark digital rules on Wednesday, after the Trump administration went after what it described as a machine created to fuel censorship and imposed sanctions — including a visa ban — on a former EU Commissioner.

The European Commission said in a statement it “strongly condemns” the US decision, stressing that freedom of expression is “a fundamental right in Europe and a shared core value with the United States across the democratic world”.

Brussels insisted that the EU has a sovereign right to regulate its digital market in line with its values, adding that its rules are applied “fairly and without discrimination”.

The Commission said, if needed, it would “respond swiftly and decisively our regulatory autonomy against unjustified measures” from the US side.

Digital rules have become a point of tension between Washington and Brussels, both accusing each other of politicising what should be standard market rules for companies operating in the EU.

That friction was exacerbated after the US published a controversial national security strategy earlier this month, arguing that Europe faces the demise of civilisation unless it radically changes course.

In the document, the Trump administration said that Europe was drowning under illegal and excessive regulation and censorship.

The document was built on a premise laid out by US Vice President JD Vance at the start of the year, during a speech at the Munich Security Conference, in which he argued that internal rules posed the most significant risk to the EU.

He referred to EU Commissioners as “commissars” and argued that foreign interference is often used to censor content.

The EU denies that and insists that rules are applied fairly.

France pushes back against US over ‘coercion’

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron accused Washington of intimidation after the visa ban on Breton, the former European Commissioner appointed by Macron himself, saying it amounts to “coercion aimed at undermining European digital sovereignty”.

The French president, who has long campaigned for strategic autonomy, said that digital rules governing the EU market are decided by Europeans and Europeans alone.

Macron said he had spoken with Breton over the phone after his ban was announced and “thanked him for his significant contribution in the service of Europe.”

“We will stand firm against pressure and will protect Europeans,” the French president wrote in a post on X.

Breton, who served as European Commissioner for the Internal Market under Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, played a key role in drafting the Digital Services Act (DSA), which aims to hold social media and large online platforms accountable for the content they publish.

Under the DSA, digital companies can be fined up to 6% of their annual worldwide turnover for non-compliance, with specific penalties for various violations.

Fines and tariffs as leverage for both sides

Earlier this month, the European Commission slapped a €120 million fine on Elon Musk’s social media platform X, invoking the DSA for the first time.

The fine triggered a furious response from the tech billionaire, who called for the abolition of the EU.

While fines are not uncommon and multiple US governments have called out what they believe is a targeted effort to penalise innovation made in America, the Trump administration has been more aggressive in its tone and countermeasures.

Washington has indicated it would provide tariff relief only for key European sectors, such as steel and aluminium, if the EU agreed to ease the implementation of digital rules.

For the EU, the idea is a red line, as it would undermine its right to set policy independently of the US government.

After being hit by a wave of tariffs amounting to 15% on most European products over the summer, Brussels insisted the deal was the best of all options on the table as it would provide certainty for business with a single duty rate and reiterated policy independence was assured as digital rules had been left out of the negotiation.

With its latest actions, the Trump administration has suggested it may not be enough.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine and the United States are close to finalizing a framework of security guarantees and economic arrangements tied to a proposed peace plan, while Russia has signaled it will seek significant changes before any agreement to end the war.

Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv on Dec. 22, Zelenskyy said talks with U.S. officials had produced a 20-point plan and accompanying documents that include security guarantees involving Ukraine, the United States and European partners. He acknowledged the framework was not flawless but described it as a tangible step forward.

“There are 20 points of the plan, probably not everything is perfect there, but this plan is there,” Zelenskyy said. “There are security guarantees between us, the Europeans and the United States of America, there is a framework document.”

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Zelenskyy said a separate bilateral document with Washington covering security guarantees is intended to be reviewed by the U.S. Congress, adding that key annexes critical to Ukraine’s military needs were largely agreed to.

“I saw the first developments, there are almost 90%, to be honest, exactly those attachments that are important for us, what our army and Ukraine can count on,” he said, describing the draft as “quite decent.”

He also said a first version of an agreement on Ukraine’s recovery had been prepared, calling it an economic strategy that, together with the security documents, forms “the basic block of all documents.”

Zelenskyy warned, however, that diplomacy has not reduced the immediate military threat from Russia. He criticized Moscow for rejecting proposals for a Christmas ceasefire, calling it a “bad signal,” and warned of potential attacks during the holiday period.

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“When Russia says there will be no Christmas ceasefire, I think that this is, in principle, always what they say, they emphasize intimidation,” Zelenskyy said. He added that Ukraine faces an air-defense shortfall and urged civilians to remain vigilant.

Reuters also reported that Zelenskyy confirmed Russian forces captured a border village in Ukraine’s Sumy region, taking dozens of civilians and 13 Ukrainian soldiers prisoner. He said Ukrainian troops refrained from striking Russian forces because civilians were present. Reuters noted it could not independently verify the account and that Russia had not commented.

On the Russian side, the Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin has been briefed on the U.S. peace proposals, with Moscow expected to formulate its position in the coming days, according to Reuters and Anadolu Agency.

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Bloomberg News reported that Russia views the 20-point plan agreed to between Ukraine and the U.S. as only a starting point. According to a person close to the Kremlin, Moscow intends to seek key changes, including additional restrictions on Ukraine’s military, arguing that the proposal lacks provisions important to Russia and leaves many questions unanswered.

The emerging positions underline a widening gap between Kyiv’s portrayal of progress toward security guarantees and Moscow’s insistence on renegotiating core elements of the U.S.-backed plan as diplomacy continues.

Reuters contributed to this report.