US President Donald Trump has said the United States will delay the implementation of a 50 percent tariff on goods from the European Union until July 9 to give time for negotiations with the bloc on a trade deal.
The agreement was reached after a phone conversation on Sunday with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who told Trump she wanted "serious negotiations," according to the US president.
"I told anyone who would listen that they had to do this," Trump told reporters in Morristown, New Jersey, on May 25, as he prepared to return to Washington.
Von der Leyen, according to Trump, pledged that the EU would quickly commit to working towards a solution, the Associated Press reports.
In a social media post on Friday, Trump had threatened the EU with tariffs, complaining about the 27-member bloc's approach and lack of progress in talks.
The tariffs, he had warned, would take effect on June 1.
But the conversation with von der Leyen seems to have eased tensions, at least for now.
"I agreed to the extension of the term – until July 9, 2025. It was my privilege," Trump wrote on the Truth Social platform.
For her part, von Der Leyen said that the EU and the US "have the most important and closest trading relationship in the world."
"Europe is ready for rapid and decisive progress in the talks," she said. "To reach a good agreement, we will need time until July 9."/ REL (A2 Televizion)
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