Trump, EU chief to meet today in push for trade agreement

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen and US President Donald Trump said on Friday they would meet in Scotland this weekend in a decisive push to resolve a months-long transatlantic trade standoff.

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In a drive to slash his country’s trade deficits, Trump has vowed to hit dozens of countries with punitive tariff hikes if they do not hammer out a pact with Washington by August |.

The EU - which is facing an across-the-board levy of 30-per cent - has been pushing hard for a deal with Trump's administration, while also planning retaliation should talks fall short.

Von der Leyen first announced the meeting, writing on X: “Following a good call with POTUS, we have agreed to meet in Scotland on Sunday to discuss transatlantic trade relations, and how we can keep them strong.”

Arriving on UK soil late Friday, Trump confirmed he would meet the head of the European Commission, which has been negotiating with Washington on behalf of the 27-nation bloc.

“I'll be meeting with the EU on Sunday, and we'll be working on a deal," he told reporters as he touched down at Prestwick Airport near Glasgow.

“Ursula will be here - a highly respected woman. So we look forward to that,” Trump said.

“We'll see if we make a deal” added the president - who reiterated earlier comments saying the chance of a deal was “50-50”, with sticking points remaining on “maybe 20 different things.” “But we're meeting... with the European Union.

And that would be, actually, the biggest deal of them all, if we make it,” he said.

The high-level meeting follows months of negotiations between top EU and US trade officials, and days of signals suggesting the sides were moving towards an agreement.