The United States will soon announce plans to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum from the European Union, possibly as early as Thursday, the Wall Street Journal is reporting.

The decision would land ahead of a Friday deadline for exemptions to the planned metals tariffs amid stalled trade talks, and is likely to prompt retaliation.

President Donald Trump on March 23 imposed a 25pc tariff on steel imports and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum, but granted temporary exemptions to the EU, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Australia and Argentina.

Online Editors