President Trump on Sunday agreed to extend a deadline for the European Union to avoid punishing 50 percent tariffs on their exports to the United States following a phone call from the president of the EU’s executive branch.

The agreement means the EU and the U.S. will have until July 9 to reach a deal that would prevent the higher tariffs from being imposed. Trump had previously suggested the tariffs could be put in place on June 1.

Trump said the talks had been initiated by the EU.

“I received a call today from Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, requesting an extension on the June 1st deadline on the 50% Tariff with respect to Trade and the European Union. I agreed to the extension — July 9, 2025 — It was my privilege to do so,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

“The Commission President said that talks will begin rapidly. Thank you for your attention to this matter!”

Von der Leyen had earlier in a post on the social platform X said the talks had been positive.

“Good call with @POTUS,” von der Leyen wrote.

“The EU and US share the world’s most consequential and close trade relationship. Europe is ready to advance talks swiftly and decisively. To reach a good deal, we would need the time until July 9,” she stated.

Trump expressed frustration with Europe’s negotiators on Friday in threatening a 50 percent tariff, which would have more than doubled an earlier 20 percent tariff he had discussed imposing on imports from the EU nations.

“The European Union, which was formed for the primary purpose of taking advantage of the United States on TRADE, has been very difficult to deal with,” he wrote. “Their powerful Trade Barriers, Vat Taxes, ridiculous Corporate Penalties, Non-Monetary Trade Barriers, Monetary Manipulations, unfair and unjustified lawsuits against Americans Companies, and more, have led to a Trade Deficit with the U.S. of more than $250,000,000 a year, a number which is totally unacceptable.”

Treasury Department Secretary Scott Bessent later on Friday said the threat was meant to light a fire under the EU.

“I believe the president believes that the EU proposals have not been of the same quality that we’ve seen from our other important trading partners,” Bessent said on Fox News’s “America’s Newsroom.”

“I’m not going to negotiate on TV, but I would hope that this would light a fire under the EU,” he added.

The White House has reached precious few trade deals with countries on the “Liberation Day” tariffs. The only announced trade deal so far is one with Great Britain.

Trump meanwhile has paused a number of tariffs, which initially had caused stock markets in the U.S. to plummet while triggering fears of a recession. His steps away from a trade war included dramatically lowering tariffs that had been imposed on China’s imports.

Markets bounced back, seemingly in response to those moves, though they ended with down days last week amid fears about new tariffs from Trump and increased U.S. debt.

This story was first posted at 4:40 and updated at 6:25 p.m.