HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finland's President Alexander Stubb said on Thursday that all of Europe should engage with the United States on the issue of trade tariffs.

President Donald Trump's move to impose sweeping tariffs on U.S. imports on allies and rivals alike sparked threats of retaliation on Thursday, intensifying a global trade war that threatens to stoke inflation and raising fears of recession.

Stubb last week made a surprise trip to meet Trump in Florida, boosting relations with the U.S. president.

Stubb on Thursday said European countries need to work with the United States on the war in Ukraine, European security, NATO and tariffs, trying to convince Washington to stay engaged in Europe.

"My recommendation to all my European partners is to engage with the American administration, he said. "Engagement is the key," he said.

(Reporting by Essi Lehto, editing by Anna Ringstrom and Terje Solsvik)