Washington (AP) – President Donald Trump said Thursday that he was “without haste” to conclude trade agreements due to the income that his prices generate, but suggested by meeting the Italian First Giorgia Meloni that it would be easy to find an agreement with the European Union and others.
Its administration said that the offers come from other countries and it is possible to conclude 90 agreements during the 90 -day price break, but the president played the probability of an accelerated calendar, saying that all agreements would come “to a certain point”.
“We are not in a hurry,” said Trump, suggesting that he has a lever effect because other countries want access to American consumers.
Meloni’s meeting with Trump will test his courage as a bridge between the EU and the United States. She is the first European leader to have face -to -face discussions with him since he announced and Then partially suspended 20% European export rates.
Meloni obtained the meeting as a chief of Italy, but she was also a sort of “knocked” to represent the EU at a critical moment of the rapidly evolving trade war which delighted the recession. She was in close contact with the president of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, before the trip, and “awareness is … closely coordinated,” said a spokesperson for the committee.
“We know that we are in a difficult moment,” said Meloni this week in Rome. “Most certainly, I am well aware of what I represent and what I defend.”
The EU defense what she calls “the most important commercial relationship in the world”, with annual trade with the United States totaling 1.6 euros (1.8 dollars). The Trump administration said its prices would allow commercial negotiations that would prevent China, the dominant manufacturer of the world.
Trade negotiations are the authority of the EU Commission, which is pressure for a zero -zero tariff agreement with Washington. Managers of the Trump administration, in talks with the EU, have not yet shown signs of restraint of the president’s insistence on the fact that a reference rate at 10% is billed on all foreign imports. Trump took a break for 90 days His initial tax of 20% on EU products so that negotiations can occur.
The EU has already been committed to officials of the Trump administration in Washington. Maroš Šefčovič, the European Commissioner for Commercial Safety and the Economy, said that he had met on Monday the secretary of trade Howard Lungick and the US trade representative Jamieson Greer.
Šefčovič later declared on X that it “would require significant joint effort on both sides” to reach zero prices and work on non -tariff commercial barriers.
Meloni’s margins of progress are more clarity on the objectives of the Republican President rather than on pure and simple concessions, according to experts.
“This is a very delicate mission,” said Fabian Zuleeg, chief economist of the European Policy Center thinking in Brussels. “There is all the business agenda, and even if it does not officially negotiate, we know that Trump likes to have this type of informal exchange, which, in a sense, is a negotiation. It is therefore a lot on his plate.”
As a chief of an far -right party, Meloni is ideologically aligned with Trump on questions, including the reduction of migration, the promotion of traditional values and skepticism towards multilateral institutions. But struck differences have emerged in Meloni’s unwavering support in Ukraine After the invasion of Russia in February 2022.
The two leaders should discuss the role of war and Italy in a possible post-war reconstruction of Ukraine. Trump is expected to press Meloni to increase the defense expenses of Italy, which, last year, fell well below the target of 2% of the objective of the gross domestic product for the countries of the NATO military alliance. Italian spending, at 1.49% of GDP, is among the lowest in Europe.
Despite the differences on Ukraine and defense expenses, Meloni is considered by some in the American administration as a vital bridge to Europe at a difficult time for transatlantic relations.
Trump is not only trying to chat with Meloni how “the Italian market can be opened, but also how they can help us with the rest of Europe”, according to a senior administration who informed journalists before the visit. The manager spoke under the cover of anonymity under the basic rules established by the White House.
After being the only European leader to Assist the inauguration of Trump on January 20Meloni responded with the restraint studied because abrupt changes in American politics under Trump have effothe the American-European alliance. She denounced the prices as “erroneous” and warned that “dividing the West would be disastrous for everyone”, after the animated exchange of Trump’s White House with the president of Ukraine.
“She was very cautious,” said Wolfango Piccoli, analyst of the consulting company Teneo based in London. “This is what we need when we have a counterpart that changes every day. ”
Italy maintains a trade surplus of 40 billion euros ($ 45 billion) with the United States, its largest with any country, fueled by the appetite of Americans for Italian sparkling wineFood Detuffs as amonggiano Reggiano Hard Cheese and Parma Ham, and Italian luxury fashion. These are all essential sectors to the Italian economy, and mainly supported by small and medium-sized producers who are central central-right voters.
“Overall, I think it will focus on the very solid economic and commercial relations that Italy has with the United States, not only in terms of exports, but also services and energy,” said Antonio Villafranca, vice-president of the ISPI reflection group in Milan. “For example, Italy could even consider importing more gas from the United States”
Reunion is in the context of growing concerns concerning the global uncertainty generated by the climbing of pricing wars. Italy growth forecasts for this year have already been reduced from 1% to 0.5%.
The Trump administration has imposed prices on a large part of the world, arguing that other countries have benefited from the United States, as evidenced by its trade deficits. But with the 90 -day break, the White House increased Trump’s prices on China to 145% while retaining separate prices up to 25% in Canada, Mexico, cars, steel and aluminum.
Trump met on Wednesday met the chief commercial negotiator of Japan, Ryosei Akazawa. Trump, on social networks, summed up the meeting that achieves “great progress!” But he did not offer any details. China simultaneously seeks to conclude agreements that could possibly undermine the statements made by Trump that its prices will finally lead to more interior factory jobs and stronger growth.
Experts have warned of the increase in expectations on any concrete progress between the United States and the EU.
“The best strategy was to be very circumspect: getting there, getting the meeting, obtaining the opportunity for the photo,” said Piccoli. “If she is able to return and give an idea of how Washington wants to supervise future relations on trade, defense and Ukrainian politics, it would be a huge victory.”
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Barry reported to Milan. The editors of the Associated Press Lorne Cook in Brussels and Aamer Madhani contributed to this report.
