(Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered sweeping tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada and China, demanding that they curb the flow of illegal immigrants and fentanyl into the United States, kicking off a trade war that could dent global growth and stoke inflation.

Here are some responses to the tariffs out of Europe:

BRITAIN

Britain has a "fair and balanced" trading relationship with the United States that benefited both sides, a government spokesperson said on Monday, after President Donald Trump hinted tariffs could be "worked out" between the two countries.

"The U.S. is an indispensable ally and one of our closest trading partners," the spokesperson said.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters over the weekend that his early talks with Trump had focused on building on strong trade relations.

GERMANY

Conservative opposition leader and chancellor hopeful Friedrich Merz said: "Trump will now also realise that the tariffs he is imposing will not have to be paid by those who import into America. Instead, they will have to be paid for by consumers in America."

He said the tariffs could also fuel inflation in the United States.

SPAIN

The European Union must remain united to respond to Trump's threats to levy tariffs on its products, Spanish Economy Minister Carlos Cuerpo said.

The bloc should protect its companies and make sure they were in a position to compete on equal terms with rivals from other countries, Cuerpo told Spanish radio station RNE.

FRENCH CENTRAL BANK GOVERNOR VILLEROY

Trade tariffs imposed by Trump "will increase economic uncertainty," French central bank governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau told France Info, adding this was a worrying development.

Villeroy, who is also a European Central Bank policymaker, said Trump's tariffs were "very brutal" and would hit the autos sector especially.

On possible retaliatory measures, Villeroy said such a response should not be excluded but he urged caution.

"The key is to make our economy stronger," he said.

(Editing by Bernadette Baum)