EU to defend interests against U.S. trade measures: Germany, France, Britain

Leaders of Germany, France and Britain have agreed that the United States should not take trade measures against the EU and that the EU should be prepared to defend its interests.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron made a phone call on Saturday and Merkel called British Prime Minister Theresa May on Sunday, in a bid to inform Merkel's and Macron's respective meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington this week, German federal government spokesperson Steffen Seibert said Sunday.

The leaders of the three major European countries agreed that the United States should not take trade measures against the EU and that the EU should otherwise be prepared to defend its interests in the multilateral trade order.

The three leaders also agreed that the United States should remain in the nuclear agreement with Iran.

At the same time, they reaffirmed their willingness to engage in a broader framework of additional agreements with all parties on the duration of nuclear restraints and other issues, in particular Iran's ballistic missile program and its regional role, Seibert said.

They agreed to continue intensive cooperation on these issues.