EU trade Chief Maros Sefcovic said Friday he hoped to "move forward" with the United States in de-escalating its growing trade conflict with the bloc, following phone talks with his US counterparts.

Posting on X, Sefcovic said he held an "important exchange" with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, calling it "a key part of better understanding each other."

"There's a lot of work ahead but let's stay focused and explore the best ways to move forward in the right direction," he wrote.

The call came a day after US President Donald Trump threatened to apply 200-percent tariffs on wine, champagne and other alcoholic drinks from EU countries -- dramatically ramping up a trade fight between the two sides.

Trump has launched trade wars against competitors and partners alike since taking office, wielding tariffs as a tool to pressure countries on commerce and other policy issues.

His latest threat was a response to the EU's unveiling of tariffs on $28 billion in US goods, starting in stages from April, which include bourbon, boats and motorbikes.

That followed US tariffs on steel and aluminium imports taking effect the same day.

European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen reiterated on Thursday that the bloc stood ready to negotiate with Washington to de-escalate the trade fight.

"We don't like tariffs because we think that tariffs are taxes, and they are bad for business and they're bad for consumers," she told reporters in South Africa.

"We've always said that we will, at the same time, defend our interests," she said. But, "I also want to emphasise that we are open for negotiations."