EU chief delays tariff retaliation

EU CHIEF Ursula von der Leyen said at the weekend that Brussels would continue to hold off on hitting back at US steel and aluminium tariffs, as it seeks a deal to avoid broader 30% levies.

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US President Donald Trump at the weekend threw months of painstaking negotiations into disarray by announcing he would hammer the 27-nation bloc with the sweeping tariffs if no agreement is reached by August 1.

“The US has sent us a letter with measures that would come into effect unless there is a negotiated solution, so we will therefore also extend the suspension of our countermeasures until early August,” von der Leyen told journalists.

“At the same time, we will continue to prepare for the countermeasures so were fully prepared,” she added.