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Trump delays planned 50% EU tariffs until July 9

Announcement came after a call Sunday with Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission

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European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen. File photo: AFP

US President Donald Trump said Sunday that he would pause his threatened 50 per cent tariffs on the European Union until July 9, after a “very nice call” with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen.

Trump had threatened on Friday to invoke the steep tariffs as soon as June 1, saying talks with the European Union over his previous levies were “going nowhere”.

Von der Leyen “just called me … and she asked for an extension on the June 1st date, and she said she wants to get down to serious negotiation,” Trump told reporters before boarding Air Force One in Morristown, New Jersey.

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“And I agreed to do that,” he added.

Von der Leyen had earlier said on X that she held a “good call” with Trump, but that “to reach a good deal, we would need the time until July 9”.

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“Europe is ready to advance talks swiftly and decisively,” said the president of the European Commission, which conducts trade policy for the 27-nation bloc.

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