a senior political figure in Germany said on Sunday that after US President Trump threatened to increase tariffs on the European Union, intensifying the trade war, the EU and Washington may further negotiate and postpone the increase in import tariffs. "The poker game of negotiations between the EU and the US is entering a decisive stage," said Juergen Hardt, deputy leader of the conservative Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union in the German Bundestag. "I bet that at least some agreement will be reached before August 1 and further postponed. After all, high tariffs must be paid by American citizens and companies, which will lead to rising prices and inflation in the US." Hardt said that Europe must prevent Trump from "mistakenly believing" that the US trade deficit is caused by the EU's protectionist measures. He said that due to the dominance of the IT industry, the US has a surplus in the services sector, which largely offsets the trade deficit.