The US president grants a month’s reprieve: Donald Trump has announced that he will postpone the introduction of additional punitive tariffs on goods from the European Union.

The measure, which was originally supposed to take effect at the beginning of June, will now not come into force until July 9. He said he had a “nice conversation” with Ursula von der Leyen.

The reason for the postponement is a phone call between Trump and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. During the conversation, they agreed on an extension, as Trump told reporters on Sunday: “We had a very nice conversation. She asked for more time for serious negotiations – and I agreed.”

Trump made the comments at the airport in New Jersey shortly before departing on Air Force One back to Washington. According to Trump, von der Leyen signaled that she was seriously interested in a solution and wanted to hold talks quickly. A meeting is planned soon.

Von der Leyen also commented on the conversation: On Platform X, she wrote that Europe was ready to negotiate quickly and constructively. At the same time, she emphasized that “there is still a lot of time until July 9” to achieve concrete progress. In Brussels, the postponement is seen as a minor diplomatic success, even if the underlying tensions remain.

Threats remain: Trump sharply criticizes EU

The threatened tariffs would increase the price of EU imports by up to 50 percent, affecting vehicles, machinery, and electronic products, among other things. On Friday, Trump again made serious accusations against Brussels, saying that the EU was slowing down negotiations, targeting US companies, and harassing them with lawsuits and regulations.

“I’m not looking for a deal – I want fairness for American companies,” Trump reiterated.

Back in April, the US government announced that it would consider imposing “reciprocal punitive tariffs” within a 90-day timeframe. The EU responded by preparing its own measures, including a 20 percent tariff on US imports. The situation is now threatening to escalate again if no agreement is reached by July.

Image: APA