Donald Trump has escalated his demands in trade negotiations with the EU, pushing for a minimum tariff of 15 to 20 per cent in any deal with the bloc, according to three people briefed on the talks.

(Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump is pushing for a minimum tariff of 15% to 20% in any deal with the European Union, the Financial Times reported on Friday, adding that the administration is now looking at a reciprocal tariff rate that exceeds 10%, even if a deal is reached.

President Trump said he plans to write to many nations setting a blanket unilateral tariff rate, which he said could be 10% or 15%. "We’ll have well over 150 countries that we’re just going to send a notice of payment out" detailing tariffs,