European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker said he is not very optimistic ahead of today's talks with US President Donald Trump.
"I am not very optimistic. I know Mr Trump pretty well. I have met him frequently and know how to deal with him and know how he deals with others. We will negotiate as equals," Juncker told German public broadcaster ZDF.
The European Commission chief said that the EU is "not in the dock - we don't need to defend ourselves. "We are here to explain ourselves and explore ways to avoid a trade war," AFP cited him as saying.
Juncker renewed his pledge of retaliatory measures should Trump make good on his threat to slap new tariffs on EU car imports. "We are ready to do that. We are in a position to respond appropriately right away," he said.
