BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel says the European Union will make every effort to avoid a trade war with the United States, but Washington needs to join in that effort.

President Donald Trump's administration has imposed tariffs on EU steel and aluminum imports and is mulling whether to add tariffs on cars, trucks and auto parts.

Merkel told the German parliament Wednesday: "It is worth every effort to try to defuse this conflict so that it doesn't turn into a real war, but of course there are two sides to that." She added that the good functioning of the world economy depends on countries working together as partners.

The U.S. is also pressing Germany over what it considers insufficient defense spending. Merkel said that "Germany is a reliable partner in NATO."