CNN —

President Donald Trump stunned European officials and caught some of his own senior advisers off guard with his snap decision Friday to reignite his market-rattling trade war with the European Union.

Three days later, he got exactly what he wanted.

“I have just been informed that the E.U. has called to quickly establish meeting dates,” Trump posted Tuesday on his Truth Social account, calling it a “positive event.”

The journey from Trump’s threat to slap 50% tariffs on EU imports – to his pause on that threat Sunday – reshapes the process for trade negotiations that had become a growing irritant inside the White House, according to two people familiar with the matter.

There was agreement among Trump administration officials that the EU trade talks needed to be shaken up.

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