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EU chief to meet Trump for trade talks

EU chief to meet Trump for trade talks

The Star2 days ago
BRUSSELS, July 25 (Xinhua) -- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday that she will meet U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday to discuss transatlantic trade.
Von der Leyen said in a post on social media platform X that the two leaders had a "good call" and agreed to meet in Scotland to "discuss transatlantic trade relations, and how we can keep them strong."
Trump told reporters before departing for Scotland that "I would say that we have a 50-50 chance, maybe less than that, but a 50-50 chance of making a deal with the EU." The president is on a five-day visit, during which he is expected to visit two of his golf resorts and meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Earlier this month, Trump threatened to impose 30 percent tariffs on European Union (EU) goods starting Aug. 1, prompting Brussels to accelerate trade talks.
Should talks fail, EU member states have backed a retaliatory tariff package on around 93 billion euros (109 billion U.S. dollars) worth of U.S. imports, due to kick in on Aug. 7. (1 euro = 1.17 dollar)
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