US President Donald Trump said he was seeking a "balanced" and "reciprocal" trading partnership with Italy after meetings Thursday with Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni at the White House.
When a reporter at the press conference asked Gentiloni whether Italy would raise its defense spending to meet the threshold, Trump took the opportunity to needle the prime minister on the point.
At a time when several of the president's stances on foreign affairs appear to be shifting, the dual comments represent a fidelity with some of the national security positions Trump staked out during the campaign, many of which were aimed at projecting military strength through a buildup of the armed forces while promising a more limited US role in foreign conflicts.
President Donald Trump is hailing Italy's contributions to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and its efforts toward seeking stability in Libya, but dismissing the possibility of US intervention in Libya, saying the USA has "enough roles".
"We both seek a trading relationship that is balanced, reciprocal", said Trump, who has been sharply critical of trade imbalances between the USA and many other nations.
Perhaps that's why Trump has changed his stance on a number of sensitive issues during his transition from presidential candidate to commander-in-chief.
"As far as Iran is concerned, I think they are doing a tremendous disservice to an agreement that was signed", President Trump said.
"On a broad range of things, we find ourselves tremendously aligned", Trudeau said, who visited Europe last winter to praise free trade agreements, including the Canada-EU pact.
Sluggish start to MCD polls; just over 1% polling till 10 AM
Voters in a few municipal wards also faced problems as Electronic Voting Machines at some polling booths did not work properly. Two other smaller civic bodies are the Delhi Cantonment Board and the New Delhi Municipal Council.
"Our condolences from our country to the people of France".
Standing next to Trudeau, Gentiloni said he "strongly" hoped the attack would not have any impact on the French elections "because naturally that is what the terrorists would want". Answering a question on US' intention regarding North Korea and its nuclear practice, Trump said North Korea was "a menace right now".
First at a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation leaders summit in Brussels, followed by a G7 meeting in Sicily from May 26-27.
Trudeau and Gentiloni will be dealing with Trump in person because Italy is to host the G7 leaders' summit next month, which will be part of Trump's entry into the world of multilateral summitry. Noting the 30,000 United States soldiers stationed in Italy, Trump said that Italians should "pay their full and fair share for the cost of defense".
Death notwithstanding, the claim also struck some as especially odd because Pavarotti's family had in July 21, 2016, asked Trump to stop using Pavarotti's famous recording of Puccini's Nessun Dorma during his campaign events saying the singer would not have approved of the Republican.
Gentiloni pointed out that Italy has been a staunch ally in fighting Islamic extremism in Iraq and Afghanistan. Trump has criticized the Obama administration for a 2011 military intervention that he says created a power vacuum that led Libya to slip into chaos.
Trump favors bilateral trade deals and has used trade as a tool for pressuring countries to do more on national security matters.
The British ambassador to Libya, Peter Millett, said he expected to discuss the issue with United States counterparts but declined to comment further.
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