India, Dec. 24 -- The European Union, France and Germany on Wednesday condemned US visa bans imposed on five Europeans working to counter online hate and disinformation, calling the move a fresh escalation by President Donald Trump's administration against long-standing transatlantic allies.

Washington announced the bans on Tuesday, targeting five European citizens, including French former EU commissioner Thierry Breton, accusing them of censoring free speech and unfairly targeting US technology companies through burdensome regulation, according to a Reuters report.

The decision marks a further hardening of Washington's stance toward Europe, which US officials have increasingly portrayed as strategically weak, over-regulated, unable to ...