Brussels, 13 July 2025 (dpa/MIA) - The European Union will further push back its tariffs on goods imported from the US until early August, despite Washington's decision to slap a 30% levy on imports from the bloc, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Sunday.

"The United States have sent us a letter with measures that would come into effect unless there is a negotiated solution," she said. "We will therefore also extend the suspension of our countermeasures till early August."

It comes after US President Donald Trump said on Saturday that he will impose 30% tariffs on imports from the European Union starting August 1, despite ongoing negotiations to avert a trade war.

In a letter sent to von der Leyen and posted on his platform Truth Social, he complained of the "long-term, large and persistent" trade deficit the US has with the EU, accusing the 27-nation bloc of unfair trade policies and barriers.

Trump wrote that his administration would drop the high tariff rate if "the European Union, or countries within the EU, decide to build or manufacture within the United States."

Von der Leyen on Sunday stressed that the EU would not stand back and watch, saying her commission would continue to prepare further countermeasures in the coming weeks so "we are fully prepared."

Following Trump's letter, the EU could have imposed initial countertariffs in response to earlier US levies on steel and aluminium products from the bloc from Tuesday after an initial suspension expired.

The planned EU countermeasures would affect US exports worth a total of €21 billion ($24.5 billion), according to earlier information from the bloc.

EU trade ministers are due to meet in Brussels on Monday to discuss next steps following Trump's latest U-turn over the weekend. It remains to be seen whether they will support von der Leyen's decision to suspend countermeasures to allow for negotiations to continue until the August 1 deadline.

"We have always been very clear that we prefer a negotiated solution," the EU chief said. "This remains the case, and we will use the time that we have now till the 1st of August."

However, the EU had "prepared for this, and we can respond with countermeasures if necessary."

Trump has fired off a barrage of letters this week to foreign leaders informing them of steep new tariffs he intends to impose on their goods as of August 1. New duties have been announced on imports from countries including Canada, Brazil, South Korea and Moldova. He also announced 30% tariffs on Mexico on Saturday.

Trump has been rolling out new tariff rules since Monday, when he also extended a 90-day pause on his so-called reciprocal tariffs first announced on April 2.