US and EU agree trade deal, says Donald Trump
It follows a brief meeting between the US president and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen in Scotland on Sunday.
A White House deadline was days away for imposing punishing import taxes on the 27-member EU, which is America's leading global trading partner.
Instead, the US will impose 15% tariffs on EU goods entering America, after Trump had threatened a 30% levy.
'It was a very interesting negotiation. I think it's going to be great for both parties,' Trump said.
The make-or-break talks were meant to head off trade penalties - and promised retaliation from Europe - that could have sent shockwaves through economies around the world.
Trump and von der Leyen held private talks at one of Trump's golf courses in Scotland, then emerged a short time later saying they had reached an 'across the board' agreement.
In remarks before the session, Trump pledged to change what he characterised as 'a very one-sided transaction, very unfair to the United States.'
'I think the main sticking point is fairness,' he said while also noting, 'We've had a hard time with trade with Europe, a very hard time.'
Von der Leyen had said the US and EU combined have the world's largest trade volume, encompassing hundreds of millions of people and trillions of dollars. Trump said the stakes involved meant of making a deal, 'We should give it a shot.'
Von der Leyen said Trump was 'known as a tough negotiator and dealmaker', which caused the president to interject with 'but fair." She said that, if they are successful, 'I think it would be the biggest deal each of us has ever struck.'
Their meeting came after Trump played golf for the second straight day at his Turnberry course, this time with a group that included sons Eric and Donald Jr. The president's five-day visit to Scotland is built around golf and promoting properties bearing his name.
A small group of protesters at the course waved American flags and raised a sign criticising British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who plans his own Turnberry meeting with Trump on Monday. Other voices could be heard cheering and chanting 'Trump! Trump!' as he played nearby.On Tuesday, Trump will be in Aberdeen, in northeastern Scotland, where his family has another golf course and is opening a third next month. The president and his sons plan to help cut the ribbon on the new course.
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