European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has had a phone conversation with US President Donald Trump, where she asked for more time, until July 9, to reach a favorable trade agreement.
In a post on social media, von der Leyen stressed that communication between the European Union and the United States was "good" and that this was a positive step towards improving trade relations.
“The European Union and the United States share the most important and closest trading relationship in the world. Europe is ready to accelerate the talks quickly and decisively,” she wrote, adding that to reach a good agreement, “we will need more time until July 9.”
This communication comes after the announcement of President Trump, who had earlier warned that he would impose new 50% tariffs on European Union goods starting June 1, stressing that negotiations with EU leaders have failed.
Trump called the annual trade deficit of $250 million unacceptable and made it clear that there would be no additional tariffs on products manufactured in the United States.