The United States is working to exempt ally Australia from its newly unveiled foreign steel and aluminum tariffs, President Donald Trump said Friday, tying the effort to a security agreement, reports AFP from Washington.

Major US trading partners have condemned Trump’s decision to impose the punitive tariffs as protectionism and an affront to allies, amid growing fears of a global trade war.

After a telephone conversation with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Trump said the Australian leader “is committed to having a very fair and reciprocal military and trade relationship.”

“Working very quickly on a security agreement so we don’t have to impose steel or aluminum tariffs on our ally, the great nation of Australia!” the American president added.