EU President says ready to negotiate with US on tariffs, but prepared for retaliation

President Ursula von der Leyen reaffirmed on Monday that the European Union is open to negotiating with the US regarding the import tariffs announced last week by US President Donald Trump. However, she also made it clear that the EU is prepared to take countermeasures if necessary.

Speaking to reporters, von der Leyen expressed the EU's willingness to engage in talks to resolve the tariff dispute but stressed that the bloc would not hesitate to respond if its interests are harmed.

"We are open for negotiations on tariffs, but we are also ready to prepare for retaliation," she said.


The tariffs, which have been introduced by the Trump administration as part of a broader trade strategy, have sparked concerns in Europe about their potential impact on key sectors of the European economy.

The EU, which is a key trading partner for the US, has been slapped with a tariff of 20%.

Meanwhile, EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic, echoing her remarks, added that the EU would not hesitate to deploy "every tool" in its trade defense arsenal to protect its single market, producers, and consumers.

"We are prepared to use every tool in our trade defense arsenal to protect the EU single market, EU producers, and EU consumers," Sefcovic said after a meeting of the bloc’s trade ministers in Luxembourg.

The US "reciprocal" tariffs, part of President Trump's "America First" trade agenda announced on April 2, have been met with significant opposition from European leaders, who have expressed a united front in dealing with this considerable challenge on international trade relations.

The bloc is expected to approve a first set of targeted countermeasures on US imports worth up to $28 billion, ranging from dental floss to diamonds, according to a Reuters report.

(With Reuters inputs)