The Biden administration extended for two years a temporary measure to suspend Trump-era tariffs on steel and aluminum from Europe, a stop-gap that fails to resolve trade frictions with the bloc.

WASHINGTON—The Biden administration on Thursday extended for two years a temporary measure to suspend Trump-era tariffs on European steel and aluminum, the latest sign that the president is finding it difficult to resolve trade frictions as an election year approaches.

Washington and Brussels have failed to find a permanent solution to eliminate the levies more than two years after the negotiations began. With the announcement, the administration will keep in place a temporary import quota system that replaced Trump-era tariffs while talks continue. The EU has criticized the temporary fix, which could be undone if Biden isn’t re-elected.