Von der Leyen said there is growing uncertainty in EU-U.S. relations

Europe is ready for a dialog with the United States amid "growing uncertainty". This was stated by the head of the European Commission (EC) Ursula von der Leyen on February 7 during a press conference broadcast on the EC's YouTube channel.

"Our longtime ally, the United States, has set a new agenda. Europe is ready for a robust but constructive dialog with the United States in the face of growing uncertainty," von der Leyen said.

European countries are aware of the potential challenges of this engagement and are prepared to meet them, she said.

"Europe is firmly committed to global engagement and partnership," concluded the head of the European Commission.

Earlier, on February 7, von der Leyen said that the European Union (EU) intends to defend its interests in relations with Washington and will adhere to a firm retaliatory position in case of the US decision to unfairly impose duties on goods from Europe. According to the head of the EC, the profits from US-EU trade amount to €1.5 trillion and jobs in both the EU and America depend on it. At the same time, she pointed out that the U.S. and the EU have not yet negotiated on duties, as there was no signal from Washington to Brussels.

Prior to that, on February 5, the Financial Times newspaper noted that in the case of the introduction of duties by the U.S. in the European Union may be split on the issue of retaliatory measures. The publication noted that the EU is preparing for a potential trade war with US President Donald Trump.

Trump signed an executive order on Feb. 1 imposing trade tariffs of 25 percent on goods from Canada, China and Mexico. At the same time, he promised to impose duties on goods from the EU.