European Council President Donald Tusk has said the EU is open to trade liberalisation talks with the US. But that's only if the EU is granted what he described as "an unlimited exemption from steel and aluminium tariffs" by Washington. Tusk was speaking at the final news conference of a summit in the Bulgarian capital Sofia. Alongside him was European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, who said it was paramount to protect European businesses from possible "sanctions".

DONALD TUSK EUROPEAN COUNCIL PRESIDENT "The EU is even ready to talk about trade liberalisation with our American friends, but only if the US decides an unlimited exemption from steel and aluminium tariffs."

JEAN-CLAUDE JUNCKER EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT "We want to focus on voluntary cooperation between regulators on both sides and on that basis outside the framework of trade negotiations. We are ready together with the US, if they so want, to discuss a reform of the WTO organisation. And lastly, we will, we are ready, under the condition that the exemptions will be permanent, we are ready to discuss how to best improve reciprocal market access, notably for industrial products including cars as well as the liberalisation of government procurement."