Tariffs, Von Der Leyen challenges Trump: 'Working with US, but 87% of global trade is elsewhere'

"On the trade front, we are working to re-establish our partnership with the US on a more solid basis. But we also know that 87 per cent of global trade is with other countries, many of which are looking for stability and opportunities'.

This was said by the President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, while receiving an honorary degree from Keio University in Tokyo. "I am here in Japan to deepen our ties. Countries from all over the world come to us to do business: from India to Indonesia, from South America to South Korea, from Canada to New Zealand. We are all trying to forge our own strength and independence. Only by working together can we do that,' the EU Commission President emphasised.

"We cannot accept being shaken by the momentous change we are facing. Or once again fall into the error that the storm will pass. That things will go back to the way they were if only a war in one region ends, or a tariff agreement is reached or an election goes differently next time, because the geopolitical crosscurrents are simply too strong. And the very foundations of our security and prosperity are simply too shaky," Ursula von der Leyen added. "We must be clear-headed about the challenges we face at this moment in history. I am convinced that the period we are in now - and the way we handle it - will define the rest of this century."