The United States is pressuring the European Union to unilaterally reduce customs duties.

The "Financial Times" newspaper reported today, Friday, May 23, that U.S. President Donald Trump's trade negotiators are pressuring the European Union to unilaterally reduce tariffs on American products.

Negotiators also warned that failure to make concessions could hinder progress in talks aimed at avoiding an additional 20% tariff.

The newspaper quoted unnamed sources saying that U.S. Trade Representative Jameson Greer is expected to inform his European counterpart, Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič, that the recent explanatory memorandum presented by the EU "does not meet U.S. expectations." It also noted that Brussels is seeking to reach a common framework for negotiations, despite wide disagreements between the parties.

Meanwhile, Reuters agency was unable to verify the report immediately, and there has been no response from the European Commission or the U.S. Trade Office to their request for comment.

This comes amid escalating trade tensions between the parties, as the United States imposed a 25% tariff on imports of cars, steel, and aluminum from the EU in March, followed by an additional 20% tariff on other goods in April.

Washington later reduced these tariffs by half until July 8, giving the parties a 90-day deadline to reach a broader agreement on trade policy.

In response to these measures, the European Union suspended its plans to impose retaliatory tariffs on some American goods, proposing to eliminate all customs duties on industrial goods exchanged between both sides.