Trump, EU chief strike trade deal in transatlantic standoff
The agreement came as the clock ticked down on an Aug 1 deadline for the European Union to strike a deal with Washington, or face an across-the-board US levy of 30 percent.
"We have reached a deal. It's a good deal for everybody," Trump told reporters following a high-stakes meeting with von der Leyen at his golf resort in Turnberry, Scotland.
Trump told reporters the deal involved a baseline levy of 15 percent on EU exports to the United States, the same level secured by Japan, including for the bloc's crucial auto sector, which is currently being taxed at 25 percent.
"We are agreeing that the tariff straight across, for automobiles and everything else, will be a straight across tariff of 15 percent," Trump said.
He also said the bloc had agreed to purchase "US$750 billion worth of energy" from the United States, as well as US$600 billion more in additional investments in the country.
Negotiating on behalf of the EU's 27 countries, von der Leyen's European Commission had been pushing hard to salvage a trading relationship worth an annual US$1.9 trillion in goods and services.
"It's a good deal," the EU chief told reporters, sitting alongside Trump following their hour-long talks.
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