British News Agency

The European Union has temporarily suspended retaliatory tariffs against the United States to continue negotiations on resolving a dispute that, until just hours earlier, was on the verge of becoming a full-scale trade war with the Trump administration.

The suspension will remain in effect for at least 90 days.

The retaliatory tariffs, approved by member states on Wednesday in response to Trump's duties on steel and aluminum, targeted about €21 billion worth of US products including soybeans, copper, iron, motorcycles, boats, and orange juice.

The first tranche, worth €3.9 billion, was scheduled to take effect on April 15.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a brief statement Thursday afternoon: “We want to give negotiations a chance. While finalizing the adoption of EU countermeasures, which enjoy strong support from our member states, we will suspend them for 90 days. If the talks are not satisfactory, our countermeasures will take effect.”