Trump's 30% tariffs would ‘practically prohibit' EU-US trade, says Šefčovič
Arriving for talks with European ministers in Brussels, Maroš Šefčovič, the EU trade commissioner, said a tariff of 30% or more would have a huge impact, making it 'almost impossible to continue' current transatlantic trade, which is worth €4.4bn (£3.8bn) a day.
Expressing disappointment, he said his negotiating team thought they had been close to a deal. 'The feeling on our side was that we are very close to an agreement,' as he said the two sides had been negotiating an agreement in principle – the outlines of a deal – for four weeks prior to Trump's blunt announcement at the weekend.
The US president said on Saturday that EU imports would face a tariff of 30% from 1 August, denting European optimism that talks to secure a still painful 10% duty were almost finalised.
In response to Trump's latest deadline, the EU decided to postpone retaliatory countertariffs on €21bn of US goods that had been due to kick in at midnight on Monday until 1 August.
Ministers will also discuss plans for a further round of countermeasures, targeting €72bn of US imports to the EU.
Denmark's foreign minister, Lars Løkke Rasmussen, who will chair the talks, said Europe did not want a trade war with the US, which would be 'devastating' for both sides. 'We don't want to escalate things then, on the other hand, we also need to flash some muscles,' he said.
France has called for an acceleration of preparations on countermeasures and said the EU should be ready to use its untested 'anti-coercion instrument', a law to impose punitive measures on a country seen to be using trade as a weapon.
Striking a different tone, Germany has called for a 'pragmatic' response, while Italy has warned against a trade war. Countries in central and eastern Europe are also concerned that countermeasures could trigger a withdrawal of US military support in Europe.
Lithuania's foreign minister, Keṣtutis Budrys, said the EU had to avoid escalation, citing 'geoeconomic challenges' and 'the issues that we have to solve together with the US, like fentanyl'.
Trump has accused Canada and Mexico of not doing enough to combat flows of the opioid into the US, although the issue is not known to have been a feature of EU-US trade talks.
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The Guardian
8 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Trump confirms new weapons deal for Ukraine and threatens ‘severe' tariffs on Russia if war doesn't end in 50 days
Update: Date: 2025-07-14T16:52:43.000Z Title: that Content: President says US will make weapons, including Patriots, but Europe will fund them for Ukraine during meeting with Nato chief, Mark Rutte Jakub Krupa (now) and Yohannes Lowe (earlier) Mon 14 Jul 2025 18.51 CEST First published on Mon 14 Jul 2025 09.32 CEST From 5.59pm CEST 17:59 Jakub Krupa Well, for once, was a 'major statement' from Trump, as advertised, as he spoke with the media alongside Nato secretary general Mark Rutte. Trump said he was 'very, very unhappy' with Russia, and threatened with secondary tariffs of up to 100% if there is no progress on peace deal within 50 days (17:17). Trump said 'it's got to stop,' with criticising 'all talk' from Putin as Russia continued its attacks on Ukrainian cities (17:28, 17:46) Trump confirmed a deal with Nato allies, mostly from Europe, on new weapon deliveries will help Ukraine (17:21), including the much-needed Patriot missiles (17:24), which will be sent 'within days' (17:35) and paid by allies. Trump said of Putin: ''I don't want to say he's an assassin, but he's a tough guy.' Rutte said Ukraine will 'get its hands on really massive numbers of military equipment' for air defence and on missiles to fight back against Russia, and urged Putin to take Trump's warning seriously (17:27). Separately, Trump suggested he was still open for trade talks with the EU, saying the bloc's representatives were 'coming over' soon (17:39). Updated at 6.01pm CEST 6.50pm CEST 18:50 Meanwhile, in the first public reaction from the Ukrainian side, the head of Volodymyr Zelenskyy's office, Andriy Yermak, opts for his favourite language used in tweets and posts a side eye emoji, which usually means something is afoot and means to show tension, or anticipation. Like this: Updated at 6.51pm CEST 6.44pm CEST 18:44 US president Trump is now appearing at the White House Faith Office Luncheon, and he confirms the deal with Nato is now 'fully approved, fully done.' He says: 'We had a great meeting with Nato, the secretary general, and we're going to do something a little different for this country. We're going to supply weapons to Nato at a large amount, they're going to deliver the weapons and they're going to pay for 100% of the weapons. … We're going to be doing with Nato, and it's fully approved, fully done, we'll send them a lot of weapons of all kinds and they're going to deliver those weapons immediately to the … side of the war … and they're going to pay.' He repeats his warning if there is no peace deal with Russia after 50 days, then 'we have no choice but to do secondary tariffs; you call it secondary tariffs, which are pretty tough, which we don't want to have to do.' He also does again his gag about phone calls with Putin: 'Let's see what happens. But we thought we had a deal numerous times. I'd get home, I'd say, first lady, I had the most wonderful talk with Vladimir. I think we're finished. And then I'll turn on the television, or she'll say to me one time, wow, 's strange, because they just bombed a nursing home.' Inexplicably, he gets a loud laugh from the audience, followed by: 'I said, What?!' For more domestic US coverage, follow our US live blog here: Updated at 6.45pm CEST 6.31pm CEST 18:31 Jakub Krupa A handy summary of the most important lines from Trump's briefing is now pinned at the top of this blog. 5.59pm CEST 17:59 Jakub Krupa Well, for once, was a 'major statement' from Trump, as advertised, as he spoke with the media alongside Nato secretary general Mark Rutte. Trump said he was 'very, very unhappy' with Russia, and threatened with secondary tariffs of up to 100% if there is no progress on peace deal within 50 days (17:17). Trump said 'it's got to stop,' with criticising 'all talk' from Putin as Russia continued its attacks on Ukrainian cities (17:28, 17:46) Trump confirmed a deal with Nato allies, mostly from Europe, on new weapon deliveries will help Ukraine (17:21), including the much-needed Patriot missiles (17:24), which will be sent 'within days' (17:35) and paid by allies. Trump said of Putin: ''I don't want to say he's an assassin, but he's a tough guy.' Rutte said Ukraine will 'get its hands on really massive numbers of military equipment' for air defence and on missiles to fight back against Russia, and urged Putin to take Trump's warning seriously (17:27). Separately, Trump suggested he was still open for trade talks with the EU, saying the bloc's representatives were 'coming over' soon (17:39). Updated at 6.01pm CEST 5.50pm CEST 17:50 Towards the end of the briefing, Trump talks about some domestic issues and repeatedly praises his administration. At the very end, he adds a line of praise for Rutte calling him 'a star' and 's it, the briefing is concluded. 5.46pm CEST 17:46 Trump gets asked how far he is prepared to go to settle this war. He stresses 'there are no Americans are dying in it.' But he suggests the need to get involved as he says 'having a strong Europe is a very good thing.' Trump says he spoke with 'Germany and with most of the larger countries.' 'They are really enthusiastic about this, they want [this war to end], and they're willing to go very far,' he says. Trump says he speaks with Putin 'a lot,' but adds: 'I speak to him a lot about getting this thing done, and I always hang up and say, 'Well, was a nice phone call', and then missiles are launched into Kyiv or some other city. … And after happens three or four times, you say, the talk doesn't mean anything. My conversations with them are always very pleasant. … Very lovely conversation. And then the missiles go off night. I go home, I tell the first lady, I spoke to Vladimir today, we had a wonderful conversation. And she said, Oh really, another city was just hit.' He says of Putin 'I don't want to say he's an assassin, but he's a tough guy' as he says he 'fooled' previous US presidents. Trump says Russia is 'potentially such a great country to be wasting so many people on this, and the money.' He says he hopes Putin will go for a 'fair deal,' claiming 'he knows what a fair deal is.' Rutte jumps in to pray Trump again and again. 5.39pm CEST 17:39 Trump also gets asked about EU-US trade deal. He says he is always ready to talk. 'We're always open to talk. We are open to talk, including to Europe. In fact, they're coming over. They'd like to talk.' 5.38pm CEST 17:38 Trump acknowledges 'Europe has a lot of spirit for this war,' something he says he didn't appreciate at the beginning. 'They really think it's a very, very important thing to do, or they wouldn't be doing… Look, they're agreeing to just, you know, they're paying for everything,' he says. 'I do want to make one statement again. I said it before this is not Trump's war. We're here to try and get it finished and settled,' he says, 5.35pm CEST 17:35 Rutte pointedly criticises Russia for attacks are not conducted because of military goals, but 'just creating panic' by attacking Ukrainian towns, and Trump concurs. He then repeatedly praises Nato after his recent experience of attending the alliance's summit in The Hague, the Netherlands. He explains: 'We had a couple of days of very intensive talks. And they're great people. They're leaders of countries. Many of them great countries. Some of them smaller countries. But for the most part, 's a very solid, strong countries and very successful. Some of them are among the most successful countries in the world.' He says he hopes the decision will have an impact on Russia and Putin. Rutte intervenes to stress Ukraine wants a peace deal. Trump says it continues to be a 'very deadly war,' and he thought 'we had a deal on Ukraine about four times,' but ultimately didn't work out. 'But it just keeps going on and on and on, and every night a lot of people are dying,' he says. He confirms the Patriot batteries will be sent 'within days.' 5.28pm CEST 17:28 Trump also repeated his warning US tariffs would be 'biting' and hit the Russian economy. He says: 'I hope we don't get to the point where we do, but I've been hearing so much talk. It's all talk. It's all talk, and then missiles go into Kyiv and kill 60 people. It's got to stop. That's got to stop.' The deal is 'broader than Patriots.' Updated at 5.36pm CEST 5.27pm CEST 17:27 Rutte says: So if I was Vladimir Putin today, and you're speaking about what you were planning to do in 50 days, and this announcement, I would reconsider whether I should not take negotiations about Ukraine more seriously than I was doing at the moment. 5.24pm CEST 17:24 Nato secretary general Mark Rutte says a bit more on the deal. This is really big. This is really big. He says Trump called him on Thursday and said he wanted to give Ukraine what it needed to have, but asked Europeans to pay for it, 'which is totally logical.' This is, again, Europeans stepping up. Rutte says he has been in touch with 'many countries' intending to be part of the deal, and namechecks Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the UK, the Netherlands, and Canada. 'And this is only the first wave, there will be more,' he says. He adds Nato will work through its systems to 'make sure we know what Ukrainians need' He says: 'It will mean Ukraine can get his hands on really massive numbers of military equipment, both for air defence, but also missiles, ammunition.' Updated at 5.51pm CEST 5.21pm CEST 17:21 On Ukraine and Nato, Trump confirms he agreed to deal to send weapons to Ukraine as he boasts the US makes 'the greatest military equipment in the world.' The new equipment will be made for Nato and available to be sent onwards to Ukraine. 'We make the best equipment, the best missiles, the best of everything, the European nations know , and we made a deal today. European nations know , and we've made a deal today, and I'm going to have Mark speak about it, but we've made a deal today where we are going to be sending them weapons, and they're going to be paying for them. We the United States will not be having any payment made, we're not buying it, but we will manufacture it, and they're going to be paying for it.' 5.17pm CEST 17:17 On Russia, Trump says 'we are very, very unhappy with them.' He then says: 'We're going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don't have a deal in 50 days tariffs, about 100%, you call them secondary tariffs, you know what means.' He repeats he is 'very disappointed' with Russia's Vladimir Putin 'because I thought we would have had a deal two months ago, but it doesn't seem to get there.' 5.15pm CEST 17:15 US president Donald Trump is meeting with Nato secretary general Mark Rutte at the White House right now. You can watch their meeting below, but I will bring you the key lines here. 4.52pm CEST 16:52 Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor Donald Trump has indicated the US will announce a plan to sell Patriot air defence systems and other weapons to Ukraine later on Monday, amid growing White House exasperation with Russia's refusal to agree to a ceasefire. The president told reporters on Sunday as he returned from the Club World Cup final the US would 'send them various pieces of very sophisticated military and they're going to pay us 100% for them'. 'We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need,' Trump added, describing the impending announcement as 'business for us'. Though Trump did not spell out exactly who would fund the purchases, it is expected to involve European countries. Last week the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said Berlin was 'ready to acquire' additional Patriot systems. A German government spokesperson said on Monday morning European partners would contribute directly to the purchase of Patriot systems, and more than three were involved. The country's defence minister, Boris Pistorius, was in Washington to discuss further details, Berlin said. Trump said last week he would make a 'major statement' on Ukraine on Monday. He has become frustrated with his lack of progress in persuading Vladimir Putin to agree to a ceasefire and an end to the war. During the election campaign Trump said he could end the Ukraine war in 24 hours, and following his victory began a series of bilateral discussions with Putin in an effort to broker a ceasefire. But these failed to progress as Russia made maximalist territorial demands, while stepping up its bombing of Ukraine's cities. At least six civilians were reported by Ukrainian regional officials to have been killed and 30 injured by Russian bombing in the last 24 hours. The country's air force said Russia had attacked with 136 drones and four S-300 or S-400 missiles. 4.49pm CEST 16:49 Jakub Krupa As we are still waiting to hear from Donald Trump on his 'major announcement' on Russia and Ukraine – timed around his meeting with Nato secretary general Mark Rutte should be this afternoon – here is a good background read on what we are expecting, from our defence and security editor Dan Sabbagh. Updated at 4.53pm CEST 4.28pm CEST 16:28 We are getting more from EU trade chief Maroš Šefčovič who told a press conference earlier this afternoon the European Commission put forward a new list of US goods worth €72bn could be targeted by EU levies if tariff talks with Washington fail, AFP reported. He said the proposal was shared with EU trade ministers meeting in Brussels. He also said he plans to talk with his US counterparts later on Monday to discuss the state of play, Reuters added. Updated at 4.31pm CEST
The Independent
8 minutes ago
- The Independent
ICE detains six-year-old leukemia patient and his family — even though they've followed every immigration rule, lawyer says
A Honduran mother and her two young children — including a six-year-old leukemia patient — attended an immigration court hearing in Los Angeles on May 29, expecting to make their case for asylum in the United States. Instead, like hundreds of other immigrants who have attended hearings only to have their cases swiftly dismissed, federal agents arrested the family and placed them in removal proceedings. The woman and her two children were sent to an immigration detention center in rural Texas, roughly 1,300 miles from home. After more than a month in detention, the family was released July 2 following a lawsuit against Donald Trump's administration, in what is believed to be the first legal challenge against the arrests of children during controversial operations inside courthouses. The woman and her children are identified only by their initials in court documents. In detention, the children 'cried every night,' according to the family's attorney. The woman's six-year-old son also experienced bruising and bone pain, both symptoms of leukemia, and missed an appointment related to his cancer treatment. His sister barely ate. 'The Trump administration's policy of detaining people at courthouses who are doing everything right, who are entirely law-abiding, who are trying to fulfill all the requirements that the U.S. government asks of them — it violates our Constitution, it violates our federal laws,' Immigrants' Rights Clinic at Columbia Law School director Elora Mukherjee told Salon. 'It also violates our sense of morality,' she added. 'Why are we targeting hundreds, if not thousands, of people, including children, who are doing everything right?' Thousands of people who are following immigration law — showing up for court-ordered Immigration and Customs Enforcement check-ins, immigration court hearings and U.S. Customs and Immigration Services appointments — have become easy targets for arrests. The Trump administration has effectively 'de-legalized' tens of thousands of immigrants who were granted humanitarian protections to live and work in the U.S., as well as thousands of people who show up to immigration courts each week only to have their cases dismissed, with federal agents waiting to arrest them on the other side of the courtroom doors. The administration has directed immigration judges — who, unlike federal district judges, operate under the direction of the Department of Justice — to dismiss cases involving immigrants who have been in the country for less than two years, making it easier for ICE to rapidly remove them. Those actions have radically expanded a pool of 'undocumented' people to add to the president's demands for mass deportations. The six-year-old leukemia patient identified as N.M.Z. in court filings 'was seen regularly by medical personnel' at the facility, according to Homeland Security deputy secretary Tricia McLaughlin. He was living in Honduras when he was diagnosed at age 3 with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a blood and bone marrow cancer. It is the most common form of cancer among children. In a post on X, Homeland Security called allegations of medical neglect 'flatly FALSE.' 'ICE ALWAYS prioritizes the health, safety, and well-being of all detainees in its care,' according to the post. 'Fortunately, the minor child in question has not undergone chemotherapy in over a year, and has been seen regularly by medical personnel since arriving at the Dilley facility.' The Honduran family legally entered the country in October 2024 using the Biden-era CBP One app that streamlined a legal process for immigrants to enter the U.S. After taking office, Trump's Homeland Security Department shut down the program and began terminating the legal status for tens of thousands of immigrants who used the app to legally enter. The administration began sending notices instructing them to leave the country 'immediately.' Roughly 985,000 people were seeking legal entry into the country before the president abruptly ended the program earlier this year. A lawsuit, filed in Texas district court, argues that the Honduran family's arrests violate their Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights. The family's release 'demonstrates the power we have when we fight back against harmful, un-American policies,' according to a statement from attorney Kate Gibson Kumar of the Texas Civil Rights Project, which also represented the family. 'The practice of courthouse arrests is a blatant disregard for those lawfully seeking safety through the government's own processes, and an even bigger disregard for our Constitution and the protections it provides, including due process,' she said. The South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley was closed during the Biden administration and re-opened with Trump's aggressive mass deportation agenda, which is seeking to arrest 3,000 people a day while pumping billions of dollars into expanding capacity in federal detention centers. Nearly 60,000 people are currently being held in those facilities. The Dilley detention center has come under renewed scrutiny after the Trump administration signalled plans to 'terminate' a decades-old policy that sets the standard for humane treatment of immigrant children in government custody. If the government successfully revokes the rule, children in federal immigration custody will no longer be entitled to basic protections granted under the consent agreement — including adequate food, water, and clean clothes, regardless of whether they're detained with their parents or if they're alone.
Leader Live
19 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Trump threatens Russia tariffs if Ukraine war is not resolved within 50 days
The US president made the announcement during an Oval Office meeting with Nato secretary general Mark Rutte. 'We're going to be doing very severe tariffs if we don't have a deal in 50 days,' Mr Trump said. He did not provide specifics on how the tariffs would be implemented. 'I use trade for a lot of things,' he added. 'But it's great for settling wars.' Meanwhile, Mr Trump's special envoy to Ukraine and Russia met with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on Monday, as anticipation grew over a possible shift in the Trump administration's policy on the three-year war. Mr Rutte also planned to hold talks with US defence secretary Pete Hegseth and secretary of state Marco Rubio, as well as members of Congress. Mr Trump made quickly stopping the war one of his diplomatic priorities, and he has increasingly expressed frustration about Russian president Vladimir Putin's unbudging stance on US-led peace efforts. Mr Trump has long boasted of his friendly relationship with Mr Putin, and after taking office in January repeatedly said that Russia was more willing than Ukraine to reach a peace deal. At the same time, Mr Trump accused Mr Zelensky of prolonging the war and called him a 'dictator without elections.' But Russia's relentless onslaught against civilian areas of Ukraine wore down Mr Trump's patience. In April, Mr Trump urged Mr Putin to 'STOP!' launching deadly barrages on Kyiv, and the following month said in a social media post that the Russian leader ' has gone absolutely CRAZY!' as the bombardments continued. 'I am very disappointed with President Putin, I thought he was somebody that meant what he said,' Mr Trump said late on Sunday. 'He'll talk so beautifully and then he'll bomb people at night. We don't like that.' Mr Zelensky said he and Mr Trump's envoy, retired Lt Gen Keith Kellogg, had 'a productive conversation' about strengthening Ukrainian air defences, joint arms production and purchasing US weapons in conjunction with European countries, as well as the possibility of tighter international sanctions on the Kremlin. 'We hope for the leadership of the United States, because it is clear that Moscow will not stop unless its … ambitions are stopped by force,' Mr Zelensky said on Telegram.
