By Andrea Shalal WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he met with senior representatives from Switzerland to discuss trade, among other topics, adding his praise for participants “on a job well done.” “The meeting was adjourned with the understanding that our Trade Representative, Jamieson Greer, will discuss the subjects further with Switzerland’s […]
Politics
Trump says he met with Swiss representatives to discuss trade
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By Andrea Shalal
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he met with senior representatives from Switzerland to discuss trade, among other topics, adding his praise for participants “on a job well done.”
“The meeting was adjourned with the understanding that our Trade Representative, Jamieson Greer, will discuss the subjects further with Switzerland’s Leaders,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump’s positive comment could spell good news for Switzerland, which has been trying to negotiate a better tariff deal after the U.S. president in August imposed a 39% duty on imports from the Alpine country following a difficult call with Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter in late July.
A Swiss government spokesperson said Swiss business leaders had initiated the meeting with Trump independent of the Federal Council, which is responsible for negotiations with U.S. authorities, but welcomed their commitment.
“The Federal Council has been informed that various Swiss business leaders requested and were granted a meeting with U.S. President Trump to highlight the consequences that the high additional tariffs of 39% have on their companies,” the spokesperson said in response to a query by Reuters. “This was a private initiative by Swiss business leaders, which was supported by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) in its preparation, but independent of the Federal Council’s oversight of this matter.”
Guy Parmelin, vice president of the Federal Council, was in regular contact with the relevant U.S. authorities, including Greer, the spokesperson said.
Swiss officials have pitched a package of investment pledges and proposals aimed at reducing the U.S. deficit in hopes of securing an agreement, but Keller-Sutter last month said it was impossible to forecast if a deal could be reached this year.
“Everything depends on whether the U.S. president gives the green light or not,” Keller-Sutter told The Tages-Anzeiger newspaper.
No further comment was immediately available from the White House.
While U.S. tariffs affect less than 10% of all Swiss goods exports, some areas are being hit hard, with Swiss makers of machinery already under pressure due to challenges such as economic weakness in neighboring Germany.
(Reporting by Andrea Shalal and Jasper Ward; Editing by Chris Reese and Lincoln Feast)