Washington has decided to simplify life for itself. Starting from August 1, a 25% tariff will be valid for all goods from Japan and South Korea with no clarifications, exceptions, or sentiments. Donald Trump announced this on his favorite social network, TRUTH Social, adding, “We just want fair trade. For now, it will be 25% for everyone.”

The reason is classic: a trade deficit allegedly caused by cunning barriers from the Asian side. To avoid any lengthy investigation, they decided to go with the principle “one rate — one size fits all.”

This is just a warm-up. In early July, Trump hinted that other figures could be applied to tariffs on Asian imports, ranging from 10% to 70%. It all depends on imagination. But the most important thing, as the president emphasized, is that it is “nothing complicated” and strictly “within reason.” This “reasonable” approach is already playing havoc with Asian markets.

Meanwhile, calm and diplomacy prevail in Brussels. European Commission representative Olof Gill assures that negotiations with the US are ongoing “at all levels” — from memoranda to agreement paragraphs. Europe still hopes that the tariff fever will pass without complications.