On Sunday, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said that U.S. President Donald Trump has spoken to world leaders about his planned tariff hikes on steel and aluminum. According to Ross, the president is not considering any exemptions to the measure. On Thursday, Trump said the United States would apply duties of 25 percent on imported steel and 10 percent on aluminum to protect domestic producers. This has drawn international criticism from trading partners and triggered a slide in stock markets.