Europe vows to defend interests

Trade tensions high as Trump threatens to slap 50% tariffs on imports from EU

The European Union has called for respect while vowing to defend its interests following US President Donald Trump's threat on Friday to impose a 50 percent tariff on EU exports to the US.

European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic said the bloc is fully engaged, and committed to securing a deal that works for both the EU and the US.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the EU was formed for the primary purpose of taking advantage of the US on trade and has been very difficult to deal with.