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John Kerry: "Every country in the world that is engaged in international affairs of national security undertakes lots of activities to protect its national security"
The leaders of France and Germany have criticised the US over allegations that European embassies were bugged.
French President Francois Hollande said it must "immediately stop", while a spokesman for Germany's Angela Merkel said "bugging friends is unacceptable".
US Secretary of State John Kerry said earlier that activities to protect national security were "not unusual" in international relations.
EU officials have warned the affair could put a massive trade pact at risk.
The first round of talks on the trade pact, the biggest bilateral deal ever negotiated, are due to start in Washington DC on 8 July.
Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman, Steffen Seibert, said Germany wanted the deal to go ahead but that "mutual trust is necessary in order to come to an agreement".
"We are no longer in the Cold War," he added.
Snowden sanctuary
The allegations of US security services bugging EU missions and the embassies of friendly European countries - including the French, Italian and Greek embassies - come from documents apparently leaked by an ex-CIA analyst.
Edward Snowden has been charged in the US with theft of government property, unauthorised communication of national defence information and wilful communication of classified communications intelligence.
He is believed to be at an airport in Moscow, and is seeking a destination safe from prosecution by the US authorities.
Green parties in France and Germany have called on their governments to offer Mr Snowden asylum.
"Someone like that should be protected," said Juergen Trittin, leader of Germany's Greens.
Die Welt, Germany:
"It is not nice to eavesdrop on friends or to read things they would really want to keep to themselves - but it happens in private life as well as in politics. In private life, it can end in divorce, in politics a lasting separation is only allowed on a temporary basis."
Sueddeutsche Zeitung, Germany:
"How and when have US agencies spied on Europe, and at whose request? If there are no satisfactory answers soon, then the EU should suspend its free trade talks with the Americans until the matter has been cleared up."
Il Giornale, Italy:
"The Cold War is back, without the atom bomb but with the web. "
Corriere della Sera, Italy:
"It's evident that the explanation given by Washington that its gathering of information is tied to anti-terrorism activities and the need to keep its aggressive enemies at bay is only partly true."
"He should get safe haven here in Europe because he has done us a service by revealing a massive attack on European citizens and companies. Germany, as part of Europe, could do that."
Green Party leaders have also called for existing US-EU agreements on the exchange of bank transfer and passenger record information to be cancelled.
The EU's foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton raised concerns about the reports in a meeting with Mr Kerry in Brunei.
He said he did not know the truth of the allegations, published at the weekend by Der Spiegel in Germany and the Guardian in Britain.
But he said at a press conference: "Every country in the world that is engaged in international affairs of national security undertakes lots of activities to protect its national security and all kinds of information contributes to that.
"And all I know is that is not unusual for lots of nations. But beyond that I'm not going to comment any further until I have all the facts and find out precisely what the situation is."
European leaders have called for further details from the US administration on the allegations. Italy's Foreign Minister Emma Bonino said Rome had "requested the clarification of a very thorny affair."
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