European leaders said they would respond firmly to higher levies on steel and aluminum, but they had yet to say what that retaliation would look like.

European officials criticized trade wars as bad for businesses and consumers on both sides but insisted they would safeguard their own interests.

The European Union hopes to avert a damaging trade war with the U.S. over impending metals tariffs by prioritising negotiations rather than retaliatory countermeasures, EU officials signalled on Wednesday.