EU chief delays retaliation for US tariffs in search of deal

AFP | Brussels, Belgium

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EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said yesterday that Brussels will continue to hold off on hitting back at US steel and aluminium tariffs, as it seeks a deal to avoid broader 30-percent levies.

US President Donald Trump on Saturday threw months of painstaking negotiations into disarray by announcing he would hammer the 27-nation bloc with the sweeping tariffs if no agreement is reached by August 1.

"The United States has sent us a letter with measures that would come into effect unless there is a negotiated solution, so we will therefore also extend the suspension of our countermeasures until early August," von der Leyen told journalists.

"At the same time, we will continue to prepare for the countermeasures so we're fully prepared," she added.

The European Commission president insisted that the European Union has "always been very clear that we prefer a negotiated solution. This remains the case, and we will use the time that we have now till August 1."

The move by von der Leyen will spur hope that Trump's latest threat — in which he also targeted Mexico — has not killed off the progress made in negotiations so far between Brussels and Washington.