U.K.’s May, Mexico’s Nieto to hold talks with president
U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto will make visits to the U.S. this month to meet President Donald Trump, White House officials said.
May will meet Trump on Friday, White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee said on Saturday. Pena Nieto will meet Trump on Jan. 31, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said. Neither provided further details about the meetings.
Trade, immigration and Trump’s campaign promise to build a wall on the southern U.S. border loom large in the president’s relations with Mexico.
Britain’s exit from the European Union, the campaign against Daesh terrorism, the Syrian civil war and sanctions against Russia are key issues in relations between the Trump administration and Britain.
Newspapers in the U.K. reported that Trump and May will discuss maintaining European unity and a U.K.-U.S. trade deal. May told the Financial Times she expects “very frank” talks with him and will stress her desire for a strong Europe and for co-operation between Britain and its continental partners on issues such as defence and security.
Her comments follow remarks by Trump this month that the European Union is an instrument of German domination designed to beat the U.S. in international trade, and that he’s fairly indifferent to whether the bloc stays together. Trump has said leaving the 28-nation EU, a decision taken by U.K. voters in a June referendum, will be good for Britain and that he’ll offer the nation a quick and “fair” trade deal.
May also said she’s sure Trump “recognizes the importance and significance of NATO,” according to the FT. In an interview with the German newspaper Bild before his inauguration, Trump said NATO is obsolete and urged more nations to pay their fair share toward the alliance’s costs.