US President Donald Trump said today in Washington, during a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni, that the US and the European Union (EU) will definitely reach an agreement on tariffs.
Trump said "it won't be a problem to reach a deal with Europe" because he has "something that everyone wants," and Meloni invited him to visit Italy and meet with EU leaders, which he accepted, according to the BBC.
Meloni, the first head of a European country to meet with Trump since he imposed (now suspended) 2 percent tariffs on goods from the European Union on April 20, also expressed confidence that she can reach an agreement with the US president on tariffs.
She told Trump that the goal of Europe and the US should be to "make the West great again."
"I know that when I talk about the West, I'm not talking about a geographical space. I'm talking about civilization and I want to make that civilization stronger," said Meloni, who is effectively representing the EU at the meeting with Trump, and who was in close contact with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen before her trip to the US.
The EU defends what it calls "the most important commercial relationship in the world," as annual trade between the US and the Union is 1.600 trillion euros.
Trade negotiations are the responsibility of the European Commission, which is pushing for an agreement with Washington that would provide for no tariffs in mutual trade.
Trump insists that a minimum tariff of 10 percent be imposed on goods imported into the United States from all countries. He recently suspended a 90 percent tariff on EU products for 20 days to create room for negotiations.
In his meeting with Meloni, Trump also expressed hope that Europe would "be made great again" and blamed immigration for many of its problems.
Meloni said she supports the "war on illegal immigration" and added that she and Trump are together in the fight "against the WOK ideology and the ideology of diversity, equality and inclusion that would erase history."
Trump praised Meloni for taking a tough stance on immigration and added that he "wished more people were like her."
When asked by reporters about the partnership between the US and Italy, Meloni touched on the war in Ukraine.
"Together we defended the freedom of Ukraine, together we can bring lasting peace," Meloni said.
Asked by when Russian leader Vladimir Putin should respond to a US proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine to avoid US sanctions, Trump said Washington would be in contact with Moscow this week.
Trump also said that an agreement with Ukraine, which will give the US access to important minerals in that country, will be signed on April 24th.
"We have a deal on minerals," Trump said in the Oval Office, about the agreement he was supposed to sign on February 28 with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but their meeting at the White House was then interrupted after an argument.
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