London (AP) – British Prime Minister Keir Starmer Strike the biggest business partners in America – Canada, Mexico and China – With import taxes.
Starmer spoke with journalists while welcoming the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in his field field on the eve of a mission to improve relations with the European Union.
“In the discussions I had with President Trump, that’s what we focused on, a solid commercial relationship,” he said. “It is therefore very early.”
Canada and Mexico have ordered reprisal prices In response to Trump’s announcement that the United States on Tuesday will be on imports of 25% on imports from Canada and Mexico on Tuesday and 10% on the goods in China. Trump said he was planning “absolutely” “to impose prices on the EU.
The United Kingdom left the EU in 2020, after a referendum in 2016. Trump, who supported the leave in the Brexit vote, has not yet declared if he planned to target the United Kingdom with prices .
Tit-for-tat prices have sparked fears of a world trade war.
“The prices really increase from all over the world can have a really damaging impact on world growth and trade, so I don’t think that is what someone wants to see,” said British secretary at home, Yvette Cooper , at the BBC.
Starmer goes to Belgium to meet EU chiefs on Monday, where the British leader is Aim for a “reset” relationship.
While excluding the joint of the EU. commercial Five years after BrexitStarmer said he wanted to forge a closer relationship on defense, energy and trade.
“I think it is certainly in the best interest of the United Kingdom, I believe that it is in the best interest of the EU, and I already hope that in the last seven months, there have been A manifest difference in approach, tone and relationship, “he said.
Starmer welcomed Scholz in Checkers, the Prime Minister’s country residence in the Buckinghashire at 30 miles (50 kilometers) in the northwest of London, where the two leaders discussed Ukraine and the Middle East, according to a door -Starmer spokesperson.
The Prime Minister spoke of their common approach to “key problems and challenges”, including their common commitment to Kyiv While war with Russia is entering its fourth year this month.
The two agreed that the invasion of Russia had underlined the need to strengthen and coordinate defense production in Ukraine, according to a reading of the meeting of a Starmer spokesperson. The United Kingdom and Germany signed a defense pact in October, described by officials as the first of its kind between two NATO member countries, to stimulate European security in the midst of an increasing Russian aggression.
The British government’s strategic defense review later this year will include lessons learned in Ukraine and the need to go beyond the hostile acts of Russian President Vladimir Putin through the continent, Starmer said.
Starmer thanked Scholz for his visit in the middle of a difficult re -election campaign. Scholz-left social democrats are lagging behind in the polls behind the Christian Democratic Union of Center-Directors and the Extreme right alternative for GermanyOr AFD, with three weeks before the vote of February 23.
“When I started as Prime Minister seven months ago now, I was determined to strengthen the relationship between our two countries – already very good, but I thought it could be stronger on a certain number of fronts “Said Starmer, head of the Center-Party of Labor who left. “And thanks to your leadership, I think we have made real progress.”
Scholz said that the visit which included a walk in the field of the estate and a lunch was a “good sign of the very good relations between our two countries, and in fact between both of us”.
