“Hopeful but Incomplete Stance from Putin on 30-Day Ceasefire…Wants to Talk with Him”,
NATO Secretary-General Meets Trump,
“, (Washington=Yonhap News) Correspondents Kang Byung-chul and Cho Joon-hyung report: On the 13th (local time), U.S. President Donald Trump acknowledged potential confusion from the ‘tariff war’ he initiated but reaffirmed his plan to announce ‘reciprocal tariffs’ on April 2 for the entire world.
During a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte at the White House, when asked by reporters about the possibility of changes to the aluminum tariffs (currently at 25% from the 12th) and the planned tariffs on April 2, he replied emphatically, “No.”
President Trump stated, “We have been exploited for years, and this will not happen any longer,” and emphasized, “Whether it’s aluminum, steel, or cars, I will not back down.”
Specifically regarding Canada, which is the most fiercely opposing country in the ‘tariff battle’, he stated, “We do not need anything from Canada,” and reiterated his idea of annexing Canada as the 51st U.S. state.
He added, “There may be some confusion related to tariffs, but it will not last long.”
President Trump also mentioned the detailed investment plans of U.S. companies like Apple’s $500 billion initiative, claiming that tariffs were partly attracting such investments into the U.S.
With U.S. proposed 30-day ceasefire plan in Ukraine, in talks, special Middle East envoy Stephen Whitcoff is in Russia, having serious discussions. He expressed hope for Russia’s agreement similar to Ukraine’s full ceasefire acceptance.
Trump said Putin agrees in principle to the 30-day ceasefire but needs further discussion, calling it “promising” though “not complete.” He expressed a desire to meet Putin and talk, stating, “We need to end this war quickly.”
“We are discussing the territory Ukraine will retain or lose, along with other elements of the final agreement,” said Trump. He also mentioned large power plants, referring to control of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant as an agenda in the final peace agreement.
There are “many detailed negotiations for the final agreement,” and Trump highlighted, “We will see if Russia is included here. If (Russia) doesn’t agree, it would be a very disappointing moment for the world.” He added, “I hope Russia does the right thing.”
Regarding the idea of the U.S. annexing Danish Greenland, Trump said it would happen, claiming “we need it for international security.” This idea of adding Greenland, which is included in NATO’s defense area, was shared in front of the NATO chief.
Previously, Trump didn’t rule out military or economic actions to secure control over the Panama Canal and Greenland during a news conference on January 7, while president-elect.
Rutte avoided involving NATO in U.S.’s Greenland annexation plan, saying, “We don’t want to draw NATO into this.”
However, he referred to Arctic nations and said cooperation under U.S. leadership is key for the region’s safety amid China’s Arctic route utilization and Russia’s military buildup, highlighting the shortage of NATO member icebreakers.
Trump also criticized NATO’s 2% GDP defense spending guideline as “too low,” urging an increase. Facing budget processing deadlines with uncertain approval due to Senate Democrats’ opposition, Trump blamed them for potential temporary federal government shutdown.
He also announced Facebook’s plan to invest $60 billion by year’s end.
Email: soleco@yna.co.kr