Trump signs order for 'reciprocal' tariffs targeting allies and adversaries
US President Donald Trump has outlined a plan to raise tariffs "in a reciprocal manner" to tax rates other countries impose on imports of American products, fueling potential economic confrontation with allies and rivals as he seeks to "eliminate trade imbalances".
“For the sake of fairness, I will impose a reciprocal tariff,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “It’s fair to everyone. No other country can complain.”
The 47th US president put the plan into effect by signing an executive order on Thursday in the Oval Office of the White House. The Trump administration insists the new tariffs would equalize the ability of US and foreign manufacturers to compete.
EU prepares retaliation to tariffs as tensions rise with United States
Donald Trump announced an increase in tariffs to 25% on aluminum and steel from EU countries. As a result, the European Commission reacted immediately, announcing that retaliatory measures are being drafted.
"Unjustified tariffs against the EU will not go unanswered - they will trigger strong and proportionate countermeasures," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, adding that "the EU will act to protect its economic interests."
The European Union could respond with tariffs on American aluminum and steel, as it did in 2018 when the Trump administration raised tariffs on European imports.
US aircraft carrier USS Truman collides with merchant ship off the coast of Egypt
The US aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman collided with a merchant ship on Wednesday night near the port of Said, Egypt, in the Mediterranean Sea.
"The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75) collided with the merchant vessel Besiktas-M at approximately 23:46 local time, February 12, while operating in the vicinity of Port Said, Egypt, in the FS Mediterranean Sea," the official statement said.
The incident caused a rare collision of two large ships after the 100,000-ton aircraft carrier collided with the 53,000-ton merchant ship Besiktas-M, a Panamanian-flagged cargo ship. The cause is not yet known.
Trump-Putin talks, Zelensky reacts: "We do not accept any agreement without engaging in negotiations"
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has expressed his initial dissatisfaction with the phone calls between the US and Russian presidents, saying his country will not accept any agreement reached without Kiev's participation.
"As an independent state, we cannot accept any agreement made without us. I want to make it clear to our partners that any bilateral negotiations on Ukraine, and not on other issues, but exclusively on Ukraine, without our involvement, we will not accept," Zelensky said.
Zelensky added that Trump should have spoken to him first and then to Putin, while emphasizing that he would not allow the Russian president's scenarios on Ukraine to be implemented.
