WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he is recommending a straight 50 percent tariff on goods from the European Union starting June 1, adding that the EU has been hard to deal with on trade.

"The European Union, which was formed for the primary purpose of taking advantage of the United States on trade, has been very difficult to deal with," Trump said on Truth Social. "Our discussions with them are going nowhere!"

European stock markets sank after Trump's threats.

Earlier on Friday, the Financial Times reported that Trump's trade negotiators were pushing the EU to make unilateral tariff reductions on US goods, saying without concessions the bloc will not proceed in talks to avoid additional 20 percent "reciprocal" duties.

"The priority for the EU is to seek a fair, balanced deal with the US, one that our massive trade and investment relationship deserves," Olof Gill, the European Commission spokesperson for trade, told Reuters in an email.

The European Union continues to actively engage with the US, with Trade and Economic Security Commissioner Maros Sefcovic due to speak to US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Friday, Gill added.

On Friday, Trump also threatened Apple with a 25 percent tariff if the iPhones the company sells in the United States are not manufactured locally.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he had "long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhones that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else."

"If that is not the case, a tariff of at least 25 percent must be paid by Apple to the US," he added.

Trump's sweeping tariffs on major US trading partners have roiled global markets and upended international commerce.

Trump's comments on Friday echo statements he made last week while on a trip to Qatar — urging Apple to bring iPhone production to US shores.