President Donald Trump said Thursday that he held what he described as a productive conversation with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, while warning that the European Union has until July 4 to meet its commitments under a previously agreed trade deal or face significantly higher U.S. tariffs.
“I’ve been waiting patiently for the EU to fulfill their side of the Historic Trade Deal we agreed in Turnberry, Scotland, the largest Trade Deal, ever!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Trump added that the agreement required the EU to follow through on specific tariff reductions, and that he had set a firm deadline tied to a symbolic national date.
“A promise was made that the EU would deliver their side of the Deal and, as per Agreement, cut their Tariffs to ZERO! I agreed to give her until our Country’s 250th Birthday or, unfortunately, their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels.”
Earlier in the week, Trump had already signaled his willingness to escalate trade measures, warning that tariffs on European automobiles could rise sharply in response to what he views as noncompliance with the deal reached in Scotland last summer.
The president also noted that his discussion with von der Leyen extended beyond trade, saying the two leaders addressed concerns about Iran and reached a shared position on preventing the country from obtaining nuclear weapons.
{Matzav.com}
