EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said Sunday Brussels will keep holding off on hitting back at US steel and aluminium tariffs, as it seeks a deal to ward off broader 30-percent levies.

"The United States has sent us a letter with measures that would come into effect unless there is a negotiated solution, so we will therefore also extend the suspension of our countermeasures until early August," von der Leyen said.

The EU's current suspension of its retaliation over US steel and aluminium tariffs – affected around 21 billion euros worth of products – had been set to expire overnight Monday to Tuesday. The suspension came about due to ongoing negotiations with Washington.

The EU states are currently working on a second list with US products worth up to 95 billion euros in total. However, Trump is threatening to respond with even higher tariffs on EU products in the event of EU countermeasures.