France today called for a "de-escalation" on tariffs following United States President Donald Trump's threat to impose an additional 50 percent tariff on imports from the European Union (EU).
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Paris reiterated that the European Union is ready to "respond" to a possible decision by the US president to impose tariffs on all imports from the EU from June 1, Agence France-Presse reported.
"While negotiations between the European Union and the US are ongoing, D. Trump's new threats to increase tariffs are not helpful," French Foreign Trade Minister Laurent Saint-Martin wrote on X.
He also wrote: "We maintain the same line: de-escalation, but we are ready to respond."
The US president is dissatisfied with the lack of progress in trade negotiations with the EU, which insists on the complete abolition of tariffs, and has publicly stated that he will not give up the 10 percent tariff on most imports from the Union, the Associated Press reports today.
"Our discussions with them are going nowhere. Therefore, I am recommending a 50 percent tariff on the European Union, starting June 1, 2025. There are no tariffs on products made or manufactured in the United States," Trump wrote on his Twitter account.
Trump wants to impose higher tariffs on imports from the EU, a long-time US ally, than on imports from China, a geopolitical rival of the US.
The US president this month reduced tariffs on China from 145 percent to 30 percent to facilitate trade negotiations between Washington and Beijing.
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