The European Union and Canada have strongly condemned US President Donald Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum, in a new phase of the trade war he has launched since taking office.
In contrast to these firm responses, Seoul announced its intention to “protect” the interests of local companies, while Britain confirmed that it was “engaging” with the United States on the details of the tariffs.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in Paris at the Artificial Intelligence Summit that “we will work with the US administration in the coming weeks to highlight the negative impact of these unacceptable tariffs,” and pledged a “firm and clear” response “if necessary.”
In Brussels, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen pledged a “firm and proportionate” response from the Europeans after the decision.
“The unjustified tariffs imposed on the European Union will not remain unanswered: they require firm and proportionate countermeasures,” von der Leyen said in a statement.
A meeting of European trade ministers is scheduled for Wednesday.
In London, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesman confirmed that his country was “engaging” with Washington on the details of the tariffs.
“We are engaging with our American counterparts to work out the details,” he said.
US President Donald Trump signed an order on Monday setting a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminium imports “without exceptions” from March 12.
“Today I am simplifying our steel and aluminium tariffs so that everyone understands what they mean: they mean 25% with no exceptions or exemptions, and this applies to all countries,” Trump said at the signing ceremony at the White House.
“I have determined that steel imports from these countries pose a threat to national security … It is necessary to terminate these arrangements as of March 12, 2025,” Trump said in an executive order.
The text explained that the order concerns “all steel goods and steel-derived products from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, the European Union countries, Japan, Mexico, South Korea and the United Kingdom.”
In a separate order, Trump targeted “all imports of aluminum and aluminum-derived products from Argentina, Australia, Canada, Mexico, the European Union countries and the United Kingdom.”
However, the US president confirmed that he is considering exempting Australia from the steel tariffs, attributing the matter to a “surplus” in trade with it, following statements to this effect made by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
