European Union leaders announced a 4.7 billion euro ($5.10 billion) investment package during a visit to South Africa on Thursday, at a time when both are on worse terms with the United States than they have been for decades.

The EU and South Africa are forging stronger ties as they both grapple with aid and trade threats from the Trump administration in the United States.The European Union on Thursday announced a E4.7 billion investment package in South Africa to fund green energy projects and boost vaccine manufacturing.

The European Union and South Africa are holding their first summit since 2018, the latest step toward shoring up a shaky relationship in a world where both are currently the target of US President Donald Trump’s capricious politics.

Senior European Union officials were in South Africa for a summit Thursday with President Cyril Ramaphosa that center on bolstering trade and diplomatic ties as both feel the impact of the Trump administration's confrontational foreign policy.

The European Union on Thursday announced a 4.7 billion euro investment pact with South Africa aimed in part at supporting the country’s just energy transition.

At the same time, South Africa is also hosting the Inaugural National System of Innovation Transformation Summit

US President Donald Trump has stunned European leaders with his pivot towards Russia in the Ukraine war, upending US policy since Moscow's full-scale invasion in 2022. His staunchly pro-Israel stance has brought him into conflict with South Africa over its genocide case against Israel at the World Court.

The European Union and South Africa vowed to deepen cooperation at a summit on Thursday as both grapple with aid and trade threats from the new US administration. - 'Belief in human dignity' - Both South Africa and the EU are grappling with dramatic policy shifts from Washington since Trump return to the White House this year,