Washington, 26 May 2025 (dpa/MIA) - US President Donald Trump has suspended planned 50% tariffs on the European Union until July 9, according to a post on his Truth Social network.

Trump made the decision after speaking with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, he wrote on Sunday.

"I received a call today from Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, requesting an extension on the June 1st deadline on the 50% Tariff with respect to Trade and the European Union," Trump wrote.

"I agreed to the extension — July 9, 2025 — It was my privilege to do so. The Commission President said that talks will begin rapidly. Thank you for your attention to this matter!"

Earlier, von der Leyen wrote on X that the EU was ready to advance talks with the US.

Von der Leyen said she had had a "good" call with Trump.

"The EU and US share the world’s most consequential and close trade relationship. Europe is ready to advance talks swiftly and decisively," she wrote on X.

"To reach a good deal, we would need the time until July 9," she added.

In April, Trump introduced blanket 10% minimum tariffs on all US imports and threatened further measures on a wide range of countries and sectors.

Following significant turbulence in the stock and financial markets, he unexpectedly decided to grant many countries, and the EU, a 90-day reprieve from certain tariffs. These punitive tariffs had been tied to the trade deficit of the respective countries.

He had imposed 20% tariffs on the EU, before dropping it to 10% to allow for negotiations.

On Friday, Trump had said that trade talks with Brussels "are going nowhere" and that he therefore wanted a straight 50% tariff on all EU imports starting on June 1.

The US president has made tariffs a central plank of his economic policy since returning to office in January, seeking to force foreign companies to relocate production to the United States.

MIA file photo