Multiple European leaders, as well as Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum have responded to US President Donald Trump’s latest tariff announcement with disappointment and criticism, while urging for a negotiated solution.
On Saturday, Trump posted a new set of letters to his social media platform Truth Social, declaring 30% tariffs on the EU and Mexico starting 1 August, a move that could cause massive upheaval between the United States and two of its biggest trade partners.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen quickly responded by noting the bloc’s “commitment to dialogue, stability, and a constructive transatlantic partnership.”
On Sunday, she emphasised that reaching a negotiated solution remains the priority, but that the EU is ready to respond with countermeasures.
“We have always been very clear that we prefer a negotiated solution. This remains the case, and we will use the time that we have now till the 1st of August,” she said during a press conference. “We’ve prepared for this, and we can respond with countermeasures if necessary.”
European Council President Antonio Costa expressed support for Von der Leyen in a post on X, saying The EU remains firm, united and ready to protect our interests, in full support of President Von der Leyen and the Commission’s efforts to reach a fair agreement with the US.”
Trade ministers from EU countries are scheduled to meet Monday to discuss trade relations with the US, as well as with China.
Criticism from European leaders
European leaders joined von der Leyen in urging Trump to give negotiations more time and warnings of possible new tariffs on Washington.
“With European unity, it is more than ever up to the Commission to assert the Union’s determination to resolutely defend European interests,” French President Emmanuel Macron said in a statement posted on X.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s office said “it would make no sense to trigger a trade war between the two sides of the Atlantic.”
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told broadcaster DR that Trump was taking a “pointless and a very shortsighted approach.” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson warned in an interview with the country’s public broadcaster SVT that “everyone loses out from an escalated trade conflict, and it will be US consumers who pay the highest price.”
Outgoing Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof wrote on X that the announcement “is concerning and not the way forward.”
Irish Taoiseach Micheal Martin said on Saturday that the tariffs represent a “setback”, adding that levies are “not sustainable and tenable”. During his remarks, Martin also mentioned that the European Union has countermeasures on the table, but “it doesn’t want to have to deploy and would prefer a negotiated approach”.
Trump, as he has in previous letters, warned that his administration would further raise tariffs if the EU attempts to hike its own tariffs on the United States.
‘Unfair treatment’
The Mexican government said it was informed during high-level talks with US State Department officials Friday that the Trump letter was coming. The delegation told Trump officials at the meeting it disagreed with the decision and considered it “unfair treatment,” according to a Mexican government statement.
Sheinbaum, who has sought to avoid directly criticising Trump in the early going of her presidency, expressed a measure of confidence during a public appearance on Saturday that the US and Mexico will reach “better terms.”
“I’ve always said that in these cases, you need a cool head to face any problem,” Sheinbaum said.
Additional sources • AP
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