BRUSSELS/WASHINGTON – The European Union on Monday proposed a 25 percent tariff on select US products in response to proposed US duties on European steel and aluminum as President Donald Trump stressed that planned tariffs on EU imports will go into effect as scheduled, according to media reports.

The US president demanded that the bloc purchase more American energy to help reduce the US trade deficit, Reuters and Bloomberg news agencies reported citing an internal document shared with EU member states.

Part of the EU retaliatory tariffs is set to take effect on May 16, according to Reuters. The goods are wide-ranging and include diamonds, eggs, dental floss, sausages and poultry. Items previously under consideration – bourbon, wine, and dairy – have been removed from the final list, reported Reuters.

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Earlier on Monday, European Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maros Sefcovic confirmed that a list of countermeasures would be circulated to EU member states.

A vote on the first set of retaliatory measures is scheduled for April 9, with implementation expected on April 15.

While saying the EU's preference for negotiation, Sefcovic emphasized the bloc's readiness to deploy "every tool" to shield itself from the impact of US tariffs should talks break down.

"We are prepared to use every tool in our trade defense arsenal to protect the EU single market, EU producers, and EU consumers," he said.

The US president rejected the EU's offer of "zero-for-zero" tariffs with the US for industrial goods.

"No, it's not," he said in the Oval Office when asked if the deal, which European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen floated earlier Monday, was enough.

Trump also said the EU should increase imports of US oil and gas or face tariffs on their exports, including cars and machinery.

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"The EU is committed to phasing out energy imports from Russia and diversifying our sources of supply," said an EU spokesperson. The EU currently sources 47 percent of its liquefied natural gas and 17 percent of its oil imports from the US.

Trump's stance came amid escalating trade tensions globally. Economies worldwide have threatened trade wars as Trump's sweeping tariffs announced last week raised expectations of a global economic downturn and sharp price increases for many goods in the US market.

"They don't take our cars, they don't take our farm products, they take almost nothing and we take everything from them. Millions of cars, tremendous amounts of food and farm products," Trump told journalists after talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who tried to convince Trump to reduce the 17 percent tariffs on Israel imposed by Washington.

According to US Census Bureau data, the US ran a $208.7 billion goods trade deficit with the EU in 2023. Trump has consistently highlighted this imbalance as evidence that European nations take advantage of America.

To emphasize the seriousness of his position, Trump said, "This is permanent." He has rejected calls to pause or reconsider the tariffs despite ongoing negotiations.

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The European Commission maintained it charges an average tariff of just 1 percent on US products entering the EU market. It claimed US authorities collected approximately 7 billion euros in tariffs on EU products in 2023 compared to the EU's 3 billion euros on US goods.

European officials have already prepared countermeasures. Von der Leyen has announced that "as the United States is applying tariffs worth $28 billion, we are responding with countermeasures worth 26 billion euros," or about $28 billion.