Donald Trump, the President of the United States, has warned that if the European Union implements the plan for Canada’s associate membership in the bloc, Washington may take strict trade measures against Europe.

Reuters news agency reported on Thursday, 26 Sunbula, that Trump called the plan “ridiculous” and said that if he deems it a hostile act, he will impose very heavy tariffs on European goods or halt US trade with Europe in various sectors.

These remarks came after Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, proposed on Wednesday that Canada become the first associate member of the European Union.

Von der Leyen made this proposal in her annual speech on the state of the European Union — a speech that Mark Carney, the Prime Minister of Canada, also attended.

She said the purpose of this proposal is to deepen relations among allies in circumstances where, according to her, the world faces an “openly hostile” situation.