US suspends tariffs on EU to negotiate
May 26, 2025
Washington [US], may 26: US President Donald Trump agreed to extend the deadline for imposing tariffs on the European Union (EU) until July 9 at the request of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
AFP on May 26 quoted US President Donald Trump as announcing a delay in imposing a 50% tax on goods from the European Union (EU) until July 9 to allow time for negotiations, after threatening to impose taxes from June 1.
The agreement came after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called Mr Trump on May 25 and said she "wanted to start serious negotiations".
According to AFP, Ms. von der Leyen said she had a "good call" with Mr. Trump and vowed to quickly reach a trade agreement with the US.
"I told anybody who would listen that they had to do it," Mr Trump told reporters in New Jersey, as he prepared to return to Washington DC.
In his words, Ms von der Leyen pledged to "meet quickly to see if we can work something out".
Writing on social media on May 23, Mr. Trump threatened to impose a 50% tariff on EU goods, complaining that the 27-nation bloc had been "very difficult to deal with" on trade and that negotiations were going nowhere. Accordingly, he would impose tariffs from June 1.
But the call with von der Leyen appeared to have eased tensions, at least temporarily. "I have agreed to extend until July 9th and it was my honor to do so," Trump wrote on the social media network Truth Social shortly after speaking to reporters on the evening of May 25.
For her part, Ms. von der Leyen said the EU and the US "share the most important and close trade relationship in the world." "Europe is ready to move forward with the negotiations quickly and decisively. To reach a good agreement, we need until July 9," she said.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
