Germany's Angela Merkel on Sunday chided US President Donald Trump's decision to retract his endorsement of the G7 communique via Twitter.
In her first interview since the contentious two-day G7 summit in Canada, Merkel told German broadcaster ARD that Trump's "withdrawal via Twitter is of course sobering and a little depressing." The chancellor also announced that the European Union would forge ahead with counter-measures to Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs.
"We won't let ourselves be ripped off again and again," Merkel said, taking on an unusually combative tone. "Instead, we act then too."
The bloc is expected to announce its counter-measures to US tariffs on July 1.
Read more: G7 summit fails to calm trade tensions as Trump refuses to endorse joint statement
'Arduous negotiation'
Hours after leaving the G7 summit on Saturday, Trump took to Twitter to assault the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's "false statements" and instructed US representatives to renege on the US' endorsement of the joint communique. He went on to announce that the US would be looking to impose tariffs on car imports.
When asked why she appeared so calm following the fiasco, the chancellor said that escalating the rhetoric wouldn't make things any better.
Merkel said she first found out about Trump's decision on the flight back from Canada. She described the experience as "sobering," after Trump dashed what had been an "arduously negotiated" declaration.
Nevertheless, Germany would stick to the "legally-binding" declaration that was agreed at the end of the summit, she insisted.
