EU and US trade negotiators will meet today in the hope of staving off US President Donald Trump’s latest tariff threats.

Brussels and Washington reached a trade deal last year, but Trump said Friday that the EU was not complying and vowed to raise duties on cars from 15% to 25%. An EU official told Euractiv that the bloc was committed to the relationship but prepared to protect its own interests if Trump followed through.

Transatlantic tensions are high after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz criticized the Iran war last week, spurring Trump to move to withdraw American troops from Germany, triggering renewed worries over defense ties. Merz has since taken a more emollient tone.