U.S. President Donald Trump | Alex Wong/Getty Images Trump slams ‘brutal’ EU’s Brexit approach US president calls Brussels ‘a brutal trading partner.’

U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the European Union's "tough" treatment of Britain following its decision to grant the U.K. a further extension at Wednesday's special Brexit summit.

"Too bad that the European Union is being so tough on the United Kingdom and Brexit," the U.S. president tweeted Thursday after the summit concluded, adding: "The E.U. is likewise a brutal trading partner with the United States, which will change." He finished on a philosophical note: "Sometimes in life you have to let people breathe before it all comes back to bite you!"

Earlier this week, Trump issued a fresh threat "to put tariffs on $11 billion of EU products" as part of a long-standing dispute over airplane manufacturing subsidies.

EU ambassadors will hold a crucial meeting this afternoon to decide whether to approve the negotiating mandates for EU-U.S. trade talks. Europe's carmakers are anxious for talks to begin, hoping they'll mitigate the threat of U.S. tariffs on cars.

Trump's Brexit tweet came after EU leaders convened into the early hours of Thursday morning to consider U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May's request for another extension for the divorce talks, settling on a six-month postponement of Friday's deadline. Trump previously said he gave May his "ideas [on] how to negotiate" Brexit with the bloc, but that she "didn't listen."

Too bad that the European Union is being so tough on the United Kingdom and Brexit. The E.U. is likewise a brutal trading partner with the United States, which will change. Sometimes in life you have to let people breathe before it all comes back to bite you! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 11, 2019