US President Donald Trump has praised Argentina’s President Javier MIlei and says he is open to negotiating a free-trade agreement with the South American nation.
Trump, 78, offered praise for Milei, describing him as a great leader in remarks issued from the Oval Office of the White House.
Asked by a reporter if he would like to sign a free-trade agreement with Milei – who has regularly voiced such an ambition – the US president said he would “consider anything.”
“I think he's great, by the way. I think he's a great leader. He's doing a great job ... a fantastic job. He rescued [the country] from oblivion,” he added.
“Yes, we will look at” the options, the Republican mogul responded.
In a speech to Congress last week, Milei even said he is willing to pull Argentina out of Mercosur South American trade bloc if necessary to conclude a free-trade deal with the United States.
“The only thing it [Mercosur] has achieved since its creation is to enrich the big Brazilian industrialists at the expense of impoverishing Argentines,” he told lawmakers.
The five countries that make up Mercosur, whose rotating six-month pro-tempore presidency is currently held by Argentina, must negotiate agreements with other nations or blocs together.
Milei has another agreement in mind: a new one with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that he hopes to sign soon. To pave the way, he needs the backing of Trump and the United States, which is its largest stakeholder.
Trump met Milei last week at a conservative conference near Washington and invited him to the White House “in the coming months.”
“He's a MAGA guy to make Argentina great again,” Trump declared at the CPAC rally, using the acronym for his slogan “Make America Great Again."
– TIMES/AFP/BLOOMBERG
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