US updates: EU vows tough countermeasures to tariffs

The UK is yet to see all the details of US President Donald Trump's tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, with a spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Kier Starmer adding that the UK was "engaging with our US counterparts to work through the detail."

"It's obviously important that we take a considered approach to this... This government is clear that we will always work in our national interests," the AFP news agency quoted a spokesperson as saying.

"We're resolute in our support for the (British) steel industry," the spokesman added.

The industry body UK steel said any tariffs — that are imposed on top of existing metal duties — would represent a "devastating blow" to the sector.

The US is the steel industry's second-largest export market after the European Union, although the government said it only accounted for 5% of UK steel exports in 2023. 

Pope Francis has sharply criticized US President Donald Trump's crack down on undocumented immigrants in the country, saying it was wrong to assume that they were all criminals.

"I exhort all the faithful of the Catholic Church ... not to give in to narratives that discriminate against and cause unnecessary suffering to our migrant and refugee brothers and sisters," the pontiff said in an unusual open letter sent to America's Catholic bishops on Tuesday.

The Trump administration has publicized the arrests of thousands of immigrants since taking office last month, after making promises of carrying out the largest deportation of immigrants in US history on his campaign trail.

But experts and human rights groups have pointed out that the Trump administration was also directing their ire against legal pathways that have allowed migrants to enter the country legally.

In Tuesday's letter, the pontiff called the immigration crackdown a "major crisis" for the US, writing: "What is built on the basis of force, and not on the truth about the equal dignity of every human being, begins badly and will end badly." 

Tom Homan, Donald Trump's newly appointed "border czar," later criticized Pope Francis over his statement, telling reporters at the White House: "I wish he'd stick to the Catholic Church and fix that and leave border enforcement to us."

Canada, a top exporter of steel to the US, called US President Donald Trump's order to hike levies on steel imports "unacceptable."

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who is in Paris for a summit on artificial intelligence, told reporters that Canada would seek to highlight the negative impact of US tariffs on the country.

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and Brazil's finance minister, Fernando Haddad, said Monday they were going to respond when the time was right.

They were talking to reporters before Trump made an official announcement to go ahead with new levies on steel and aluminum.

In his first term, Trump imposed tariffs of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminum, though Brazil and Mexico were among the countries later exempted from them.

US President Donald Trump has said he wants to hike taxes on imports in a bid to boost domestic production. But the measure has a wider impact on the rest of the world.

Here are the top 5 exporters to the US of aluminum — a lightweight metal that is used in a range of products, from cans, foils, and kitchen utensils to window frames, beer kegs and airplane parts.

South Korean Acting President Choi Sang-mok stated that Seoul will actively consider any opportunities for negotiations regarding US tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

US President Donald Trump declared a 25% hike in tariffs on all foreign steel and aluminum imports, declaring his decision "the beginning of making America rich again." He said the levies would apply to all countries without exemptions.

South Korea is the fourth biggest steel exporter to the US after Canada, Brazil and Mexico and Choi said there concerns about "deteriorating profitability for our industries" should the tariffs go into effect as planned.

But Choi added that Seoul was "committed to protecting the interests of our companies and reducing uncertainties by building a close relationship with the Trump administration and expanding diplomatic options."

Trade Minister Cheong In-kyo said Tuesday that the government will "actively consider" whether there is room for negotiation on the tariffs. 

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told Parliament that "if the US leaves us no other choice, then the European Union will react united," adding that "ultimately, trade wars always cost both sides prosperity."

Meanwhile, EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic told the European Parliament in Strasbourg that the extent of the measures ordered by Trump is being examined.

Countermeasures will be taken following a thorough study, Sefcovic said. The Trump administration during its first term in office slapped similar tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.

The EU responded with tariffs on $3.4 billion (€2.9 billion) of American products, but suspended the measures following a deal with the Biden administration.

European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc will respond to any tariffs the US might impose on it.

"I deeply regret the US decision to impose tariffs on European steel and aluminum exports," von der Leyen said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Unjustified tariffs on the EU will not go unanswered — they will trigger firm and proportionate countermeasures," she wrote, adding that the "EU will act to safeguard its economic interests. We will protect our workers, businesses and consumers."

The EU response comes after US President Donald Trump ordered a 25% tariff on foreign steel and aluminum imports that is set to take effect in March.

The tariffs will also apply to imports from Canada and Mexico, countries that are top suppliers of metals to the US.

The Trump administration is hoping the levies will give local producers relief from intense global competition, allowing them to charge higher prices.

The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, said in a statement that the imposition of tariffs would be "unlawful and economically counterproductive" given the deeply integrated production chains between the EU and US.

"By imposing tariffs, the US would be taxing its own citizens, raising costs for business, and fuelling inflation," the statement said.