Trump agrees to delay EU tariffs
The US will delay the introduction of a 50% tariff on goods from the EU by more than a month, moving the deadline from June 1 to July 9, President Donald Trump announced on Sunday. He added that the decision came after a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he received a call from von der Leyen requesting a delay to the June 1 deadline. 'I agreed to the extension – July 9, 2025 – it was my privilege to do so,' he wrote.
Trump earlier called the US trade deficit with the EU 'totally unacceptable' and described the bloc as 'very difficult to deal with' on trade matters.
Von der Leyen said in a post on X on Sunday that she had a 'good' phone call with Trump, adding that Brussels is 'ready to advance talks swiftly and decisively' to reach a deal.
In April, the Trump administration imposed a 20% tariff on all EU goods, along with 25% on car and metal imports. Later, the 20% tariff was suspended for 90 days, retaining only a 10% baseline. The measure is set to resume on July 9, with tariffs rising to 50% unless a deal with the bloc is reached.
Since then, the only new trade agreement announced has been with the UK. The EU, however, criticized the deal, which maintains a 10% baseline tariff on British exports while easing higher tariffs on steel and cars. Earlier this month, EU trade ministers warned that the bloc would consider retaliatory measures against the US unless more favorable terms are secured.
Trump has long accused the EU of engaging in unfair trading practices, claiming that the bloc's extensive regulatory framework contributes to the transatlantic trade imbalance. Last week, the US president criticized the EU again, saying the trade deficit is driven by 'trade barriers, VAT taxes, ridiculous corporate penalties, non-monetary trade barriers, monetary manipulations, [and] unfair and unjustified lawsuits against American companies.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Russia Today
2 hours ago
- Russia Today
Western use of interest from Russia's frozen assets is theft – top banker to RT
The use of the interest generated by Russian assets frozen in the West amounts to theft, Andrey Kostin, the CEO of major Russian lender VTB, told RT on Saturday on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Kostin condemned the actions of the West, the EU in particular, in regard to Russian assets as 'dangerous' games that could eventually be used by others against them. Western countries froze an estimated $300 billion worth of Russian sovereign funds following the escalation of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. Some $213 billion of the assets are held by the Belgium-based settlement house Euroclear. 'It is a very dangerous thing to play such games. You start against one – tomorrow someone will use it against you,' Kostin warned. The use of proceeds from the assets, which have been repeatedly funneled for procurement of military aid for Ukraine, is grossly illegal and amounts to theft, Kostin noted. While various parties in the West have repeatedly mulled the possibility of seizing the assets themselves, they have failed to find a legal mechanism to do so because there is none, he added. 'This is theft. They are using interest now, but interest is the same money of the owner as the principal debt,' he stressed. Moscow has repeatedly condemned the freezing of its assets and has hinted at possible retaliatory measures against Western investments and property in Russia. Last October, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov warned that Moscow would retaliate in kind and start using the interest generated by the assets of 'unfriendly' countries and organizations held in Russia for its own needs. Kostin has long been skeptical about the prospects of Russia ever seeing its frozen assets again. Late last year, he suggested that the funds will never be returned under the pretext of Ukraine's purported 'reconstruction.' 'In the West, they say, let's pay for the reconstruction of Ukraine from the reserves. And they will draw up such a bill that even the reserves will not be enough,' Kostin said at the time.
Russia Today
4 hours ago
- Russia Today
Belarus releases 14 prisoners during visit of Trump's envoy
Keith Kellogg, US President Donald Trump's special envoy, has visited Belarus and met with President Alexander Lukashenko. Shortly after the talks, on Saturday, Minsk released 14 prisoners, including a key opposition figure, Sergey Tikhanovsky, who immediately left the country for Lithuania. Kellogg and Lukashenko met at the presidential palace in Minsk and discussed the relations between the US and Belarus, as well as international agenda, according to Lukashenko's press service. The talks lasted for six and a half hours, according to Minsk. 'You have made a lot of noise in the world with your arrival. But I wonder why. Can't we have a normal dialogue and talk about our affairs – about relations between Belarus and the United States of America,' Lukashenko told Kellogg. The release of the prisoners was first confirmed on X by the US with Kellogg's deputy, John Coale. 'President Trump's strong leadership led to the release of 14 prisoners from Belarus today. Thanks to the Lithuanian government for its cooperation and assistance – they remain a true friend and ally,' Coale wrote. Lukashenko's press secretary, Natalya Eismont, said the president pardoned the prisoners at Trump's request and emphasized that he acted out of 'humanitarian considerations, to reunify families.' All 14 individuals are currently in Lithuania, its Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys has confirmed. 'The US role in the release has been critical,' Budrys wrote on X. Tikhanovsky's release has been confirmed by his wife, pro‑Western opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, who posted footage of their reunion on social media. Tikhanovsky, an opposition blogger, was barred from running for president in the 2020 Belarus election and ultimately ended up jailed for 18 years for organizing mass rioting and other crimes. His wife ran in his place, lost to Lukashenko by a wide margin, and left the country soon after. Tikhanovskaya continues to insist that she was the rightful winner, referring to herself as Belarus' 'elected president' while engaging with Western governments. Neither party has released a comprehensive list of the individuals freed from Belarusian jails, and it also remains unclear whether Minsk received anything in return. Belarus says the group mostly consisted of foreign nationals: three Polish, two Latvian, two Japanese, plus Estonian, Swedish, and American citizens.
Russia Today
11 hours ago
- Russia Today
US presses Iran nuclear threat narrative despite IAEA's denial
US ambassador to the UN Dorothy Shea stated at a UN Security Council meeting on Friday that Iran must be stopped from developing a nuclear bomb, despite IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi recently saying the agency found no evidence that Tehran is pursuing such a weapon. Analysts say Washington's narrative resembles past efforts to justify regime change in the Middle East. Last week, Israel launched airstrikes on Iran, citing an imminent threat that Tehran would make a nuclear weapon. Iran, insisting its nuclear program is peaceful, retaliated with strikes on Israeli targets. The Israeli assault came days after the IAEA reported that Iran had enriched uranium to 60% – which is short of the 90% required for weapons. However, since the strikes started, Grossi has claimed that his agency had no proof that Iran was actually trying to build a nuclear weapon, stressing that enriched uranium alone does not constitute a bomb. US intelligence agencies also maintain there is no evidence Iran is pursuing nuclear arms. Nevertheless, President Donald Trump has claimed Iran was 'very close' to acquiring a bomb and warned the US could intervene if it doesn't agree to scrap its nuclear program. Amb. Dorothy Camille Shea, interim U.S. representative to the United Nations: "We can no longer ignore that Iran has all that it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon." Shea declared the US 'continues to stand with Israel' and backs its campaign against 'Iran's nuclear ambitions.' She insisted that the US 'can no longer ignore that Iran has all that it needs to achieve a nuclear weapon,' lacking only a decision from its supreme leader. Some analysts say US rhetoric on Iran echoes President George W. Bush's 2002 claims about Iraqi WMDs, which led to a US invasion despite no stockpiles being found. Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon told journalist Tucker Carlson this week that the entire operation against Iran 'that came out of nowhere' is in fact an attempt by the US 'deep state' to orchestrate regime change in Iran. 'We have a system that has its own national security policy… that is the fight we have to take on today,' Bannon stated, suggesting that Trump should not succumb to pressure from US war hawks and involve American military in the conflict. Tucker Carlson also said that while he supports Trump, he fears the consequences if he yields to pressure and joins the Israeli strikes. 'I think we're gonna see the end of the American empire,' he warned, criticizing Washington hawks for dragging the country into another war. Journalist Steve Coll told NPR this week that using US intelligence to justify strikes mirrors the Iraq war narrative. He noted that while Israel calls its attacks preemptive, the objective remains vague. '[Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu has spoken of regime change and urged Iranians to rise up – just like George H.W. Bush did in 1991 with Iraq,' Coll said. 'There's no sign of a planned invasion, yet talk of toppling Iran's government persists.' Other observers, including former US President Bill Clinton, suggested Israel's 'undeclared war' on Iran may also be driven by another goal – Netanyahu's desire to stay in power. Shea made a notable slip during her UN remarks, initially blaming Israel for 'chaos and terror' in the Middle East before correcting herself to attribute it to Iran. RT's Rick Sanchez and journalist Chay Bowes called her words a 'Freudian slip' while discussing the situation in an episode of Sanchez Effect on Friday, with Sanchez adding, 'She accidentally said the truth out loud.' US representative to the UN Dorothy Shea:"Israel's government has also spread chaos, terror and suffering throughout the region..."Awkward pause."Iran's government has also spread chaos, terror and suffering throughout the region..."It's always foreign policy that brings…
