EU to Seek Clarification from US on New Tariffs

MOSCOW (ANTARA) - The European Union will seek clarification from the United States regarding the imposition of new tariffs on European products, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said. “We have an agreement with the Americans and we have kept our side of the agreement. That is why it is an unpleasant surprise that the agreement is not being kept,” Kallas told Reuters on the sidelines of an ASEAN meeting in Manila, Philippines, on Friday. The United States under the administration of President Donald Trump on Friday announced the imposition of new tariffs of 10 per cent and 12.5 per cent on goods from 60 trading partners, including the European Union. “Who can keep up with the constant changes of tariffs being imposed and then taken off? No, we did not expect this,” Kallas said. The EU’s top diplomat rejected American accusations of weaknesses in EU legislation regarding forced labour controls. Kallas described the US accusations as baseless. “If you compare our labour laws with those in the United States, we have paid leave, we have very good working conditions for our employees. So, the accusation is actually unfounded,” she said. In August 2025, the US and the EU announced a trade agreement framework requiring the EU to eliminate tariffs on all US industrial goods, while the US would maintain a 15 per cent tariff on most European goods.