On May 23, US President Trump posted to social media regarding stagnant trade negotiations with the European Union—proposing a 50% tariff on the collection of countries.
After approval on May 22, Ukraine and the EU will revert to pre-war tariff quotas on agricultural exports after June 5—when the current free trade agreement expires.
The European Commission (EC) released a new list of products that would be subject to countertariffs in the event that US-EU trade negotiations go south. This 218-page list of €95 billion worth of US goods will remain under scrutiny until July 14 (after the 90-day pause), or until the US and EC ink a mutual trade agreement.
Additionally, the EU and United Kingdom reached a trade deal which will prevent unnecessary border checks on agricultural products like meat and dairy under a food standards deal, among other agri-commodity, fishery, defense, and energy agreements.
Earlier this week, a major retailer announced price increases, specifically due to tariffs—to which US President Trump responded directly via social media.
As of May 15, cargo transferred from a feeder vessel to a US-bound vessel after April 5, 2025, will not qualify for the in-transit tariff exemption, according to clarification from the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP ).
Cargo that was loaded before April 5 and remains on the same vessel to the US will retain its eligibility for exemption, regardless of whether the vessel stops at foreign ports along the way. The key factor is that the cargo must not be offloaded and reloaded onto a different vessel after the deadline. In contrast, shipments that begin on feeder vessels—used in regional ports before cargo is moved to larger, US-bound carriers—lose exempt status if the transfer to the main vessel occurs after April 5. CBP has determined that the second vessel, for example, constitutes the final mode of transit, triggering the tariff obligation.
