German finance minister says it is urgent to reduce tariffs uncertainty

WASHINGTON, April 23 (Reuters) - Reducing uncertainty is urgent for economies and businesses, German Finance Minister Joerg Kukies said on Wednesday, talking about negotiations on trade tariffs with the United States.

"The longer we wait for an agreement, the longer we let the uncertainty (in) both of our economies linger," he said at the Semafor World Economy Summit in Washington.

Germany was the only member of the Group of Seven advanced economies that failed to grow for the last two years, and the tariffs announced by U.S. President Donald Trump will deal a major blow, possibly putting it on track for a third year of recession for the first time in post-war German history.