The European Union's (EU) trade chief, Maroš Šefčovič, said the 27-nation bloc was committed to securing a trade deal with the United States (US) based on "respect" and not "threats", the BBC reported.
This message comes after US President Donald Trump threatened to impose a 50% tariff on all goods sent to the United States (US) from the EU.
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"The EU is fully engaged, committed to securing an agreement that works for both of us," said EU Trade Commissioner Šefčovič after talks with US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
He added that trade between the EU and the US is unparalleled and must be guided by mutual respect, not threats.
"We are ready to defend our interests," said Šefčovič.
Trump yesterday expressed impatience with the pace of ongoing EU-US trade negotiations, saying his plan to raise tariffs on June 1st was set.
Writing on social media, Trump said: "Our talks with [the EU] are going nowhere," adding that there would be no tariffs on products made or produced in the US.
"I'm not looking for a deal – we have a deal," he later told reporters, before immediately adding that a major investment in the US by a European company could make him open to a delay.
Last year, the US was the EU's largest partner for goods exports, with 20,6 percent of that going across the Atlantic, worth over $600 billion. However, the EU imported "only" $370 billion worth of goods from the US in the same period.
Responding to Trump's threats, European governments have warned that higher tariffs would be harmful to both sides.
"We don't have to go down this road. Negotiations are the best and only sustainable way forward," said Irish Prime Minister Michel Martin.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Saint-Martin said: "We maintain the same line: de-escalation, but we are ready to respond."
German Economy Minister Katarina Reiche said that "we must do everything to ensure that the European Commission reaches a negotiated solution with the US."
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoop told reporters that he supported the EU's strategy in trade negotiations and that "we have seen before that tariffs can go up and down in negotiations with the US."
In early April, Trump announced tariffs on a long list of countries, including a 20 percent tax on most EU goods sold in the US.
Within days, the president paused the higher tariffs for three months, until July 8, to allow for additional negotiations, but maintained the base ten percent tax against US trading partners, according to the BBC.
Trump's complaints about Europe center on what he claims is an unequal trade relationship – the EU sells more goods to the US than it buys from America.
Trump blames trade deficit policies that he claims are unfair to American companies, and has particularly expressed concerns about policies related to automobiles and agricultural products.
Trump also warned Apple that he would impose an import tax of "at least" 25 percent on iPhones not made in the United States, and later extended the threat to any smartphone, according to the BBC.
Stocks in the US and EU fell on Friday after the latest threats, with the US S&P 500 down about 0,7 percent and the German Dak and French Cac 40 ending the day down more than 1,5 percent.
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