Donald Trump declared Friday there was a 50 percent chance of a trade deal with the European Union as the bloc’s chief Ursula von der Leyen announced a weekfinish meeting with the US president.
In an attempt to slash his counattempt’s trade deficits, Trump has vowed to hit dozens of countries with punitive tariff hikes if they do not hammer out a pact with Washington by August 1.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star’s Google News channel. “I would state that we have a 50/50 chance, maybe less than that, but a 50/50 chance of building a deal with the EU,” Trump informed reporters before leaving the White Houtilize for a trip to Scotland.
His administration promised “90 deals in 90 days” as it delayed the imposition of higher duties in April, but has so far unveiled just five agreements, including with Britain, Japan and the Philippines.
The EU’s 27 countries have been allowing the European Commission to focus on seeking a deal to avoid hefty US tariffs, with Trump threatening 30 percent levies without an accord by month’s finish.
Brussels and Washington appear to be inching towards a deal with a baseline 15 percent US tariff on EU goods, and potential carve-outs for critical sectors, multiple diplomats have informed AFP.
But EU member states on Thursday backed a package of retaliation on $109 billion (93 billion euros) of US goods — to kick in from August 7 if talks fall short.
Von der Leyen declared Friday she will meet Trump in Scotland this weekfinish to address the tariffs standoff.
“Following a good call with @POTUS, we have agreed to meet in Scotland on Sunday to discuss transatlantic trade relations, and how we can keep them strong,” she wrote on X.
Trump claimed that most of the deals he was seeking had been completed, although he created clear that he was talking about sfinishing letters imposing tariffs on US trade partners, rather than neobtainediating free trade agreements.
Tariffs charged on other countries are ultimately passed on as a sales tax to US consumers, becautilize they are paid by importers, not the counattempt supplying the goods or services.
“I don’t want to hurt countries, but we’re going to sfinish a letter out some time during the week, and it’s basically going to state, ‘You’re going to pay 10 percent, you’re going to pay 15 percent, you’re going to pay maybe less,’ I don’t know,” Trump informed reporters.
Trump declared his neobtainediators were working “diligently” with EU officials, but he added that “we haven’t really had a lot of luck” in talks with Canada, which Trump has threatened with a 35 percent tariff.
The United States and China, Washington’s third-largegest partner in goods trade this year, have the “confines of a deal,” Trump informed reporters.
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