“It’s important that we don’t divide the world with numerous tariff barriers,” Scholz said on Sunday after meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in the U.K. The EU is “a strong economic area and has its own courses of action,” Scholz said.

In contrast, German Finance Minister Jörg Kukies urged Europeans to keep calm and carry on. “One should not react to the first decisions with panic, but see them as the beginning of the negotiations and not as the end,” he was quoted as saying by Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung during a trip to the Persian Gulf on Sunday. 

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani opted for a cautious tone, writing on X: “The tariff war is not good for anyone. … We have ideas and strategies to protect our companies with Italy being the best ambassador for the EU in the dialogue with Washington.”

Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament’s international trade committee, described Trump’s tariffs as violating international law. The EU now has to prepare “to defend our economic interests 1:1,” he added, while calling on Brussels to “stabilize and quickly expand” trade relations with other countries.

Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Saturday issued a video message telling people that there is “cause for concern but not for fear” after listing recent developments including irregular immigration, Russia’s war in Ukraine and Trump’s tariff threats. 

Meanwhile, former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt called the U.S. tariffs a “blatant attack on its own people and a gift to billionaires, all while tearing apart his closest allies.” 

He added: “The EU must not bow to his bullying tactics.” 

Chris Lunday contributed to this report.