The European Union will be ready for tough negotiations with the United States to protect its own interests and will be pragmatic in trying to find solutions, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said as Europe braces for potential new U.

European officials need to manage diplomatic negotiations in a more volatile geopolitical environment, the commission president said in reference to a possible trade war between the bloc and the U.S.

"We will always protect our own interests – however and whenever that is needed," Ursula von der Leyen said after Donald Trump warned tariffs against the EU would happen "pretty soon." View on euronew