German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said US President Donald Trump’s threat of 30% tariffs would hit exporters in Europe’s largest economy “to the core,” if a negotiated solution in the trade conflict can’t be found in the coming weeks.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Sunday said he will work intensively with French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to resolve the escalating trade war with the United States.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told the broadcaster ARD that President Trump's threat of 30% tariffs on goods from the European Union as of Aug. 1 would hit the German export industry "to the core," and he vowed to work toward a solution.