Washington intends to keep key tariffs on European Union goods even after trade talks with Brussels in a bid to bring American companies and businesses back to the US, the Financial Times (FT) newspaper reported, citing European diplomats.
The US has told the EU that “some US tariffs will remain in place even after talks between the two sides“, while refusing to make reservations about the possibility of reducing tariffs. “The US side has made it clear that Washington will maintain a certain level of tariffs“, two diplomats said after a meeting in Washington between EU Commissioner for Trade Policy and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnik and US trade negotiator Jameson Greer.
The discussions between the parties focused on US President Donald Trump's so-called retaliatory tariffs on EU goods, as well as his 25% tariffs on steel, aluminium and car imports.
The chaos in the Trump administration makes it difficult to understand what is “real policy and what is negotiation tactics”, said one diplomat. The tools “change quite frequently”. It is also difficult to understand who is actually making decisions and who is just talking without authority. “Maintaining tension” has become a pattern in the US administration's actions, the source added.