EU ‘holding back’ in search of tariff deal with Trump
EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday 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 per cent levies. US President Donald Trump on Saturday threw months of painstaking negotiations into disarray by announcing that he would hammer the 27-nation bloc with the sweeping tariffs if no agreement is reached by Aug 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.