European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Thursday that the EU is willing to negotiate with the U.S. amid rising tariff tensions between the two economic powers.
"We've always said that we will... defend our interests," she said. But, "at the same time, I also want to emphasize that we are open for negotiations."
U.S. President Donald Trump threatened earlier Thursday to apply 200%-tariffs on wine, champagne and other alcoholic drinks from EU countries, in a new twist to an escalating trade war between the two sides.
It came after the EU on Wednesday unveiled tariffs countering U.S. moves on steel and aluminum, hitting some $28 billion of U.S. goods in stages from April.
"We don't like tariffs because we think that tariffs are taxes, and they are bad for business and they're bad for consumers," von der Leyen told reporters in South Africa after a meeting with President Cyril Ramaphosa.
"We've always said that we will, at the same time, defend our interests," she said. But, "I also want to emphasize that we are open for negotiations."
The bloc's trade commissioner was in contact with his counterpart in the United States and they were expected to have a phone call Friday on the tariff row, von der Leyen said.
