European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday vowed "firm and proportionate countermeasures" in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to impose tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports,

The EU says it will respond to US President Donald Trump’s 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports with countermeasures. “Unjustified tariffs on the EU will not go unanswered — they will trigger firm and proportionate countermeasures ,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a statement.

The EU will act to safeguard its economic interests. We will protect our workers, businesses and consumers,” von der Leyen said in a statement in reaction to US President Trump’s imposition of tariffs on steel and aluminum the previous day.

Tariffs are taxes – bad for business, worse for consumers,’ European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday.

U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will impose tariffs on imports of steel and aluminium and raise rates to match those of other countries in the coming week. The United States and European Union have the world's largest commercial relationship,

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen vowed on Tuesday that US tariffs on steel and aluminum will not go unanswered, adding that they will trigger tough countermeasures from the 27-nation bloc.

The European Commission has said on Monday (Feb 10), it will protect EU interests after US President Donald Trump announced plans to impose new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. However, the EU will wait for official details before deciding on a response.