Paris, France — Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Thursday that Europe must ensure a transatlantic bond survives and approach the United States with common sense but "not on our knees" as the European Union faces US tariffs.

Tusk, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, spoke a day after US President Donald Trump announced 25 percent tariffs on all foreign-made cars, provoking threats of retaliation from trading partners.

"Since we have been hearing frequent statements from across the Atlantic that suggest a lack of fondness for Europe, to put it mildly, then the only conclusion is that Europe must be the one to assume responsibility for the survival of the transatlantic relationship," Tusk told reporters in Paris. 

"For us, good transatlantic relations are a strategic matter, and they must survive more than one term, one prime minister, one president, on both sides of the Atlantic," he said. 

"That is why we will definitely be acting with common sense, calmly, but not on our knees," he added, saying Europe must value itself and believe in its own strength.

Tusk spoke on the sidelines of a Paris summit of European leaders and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky aimed at boosting Ukrainian security ahead of any potential ceasefire with Russia.