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In an interview with TIME magazine published Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump claimed that Chinese President Xi Jinping recently called him and that a U.S.-China tariff deal is in the works.
Trump also laid out foreign policy plans, from resolving the Russia-Ukraine conflict to brokering peace in the Middle East.
“He’s called. And I don’t think that’s a sign of weakness on his behalf,” Trump told TIME, though he did not specify the timing or content of the call with the Chinese President.
Before the interview’s publication, China’s Foreign Ministry urged Washington to stop “misleading the public” about the nature and progress of bilateral trade talks.
According to TIME magazine, Trump said he expects to complete new tariff agreements within a month. When asked if retaining tariffs as high as 50% a year from now would be a win, Trump reportedly said, “Total victory.”
Trump also delved into a variety of global issues. On Russia’s war in Ukraine, he repeated his stance that Crimea would remain with Russia, telling the magazine, “Crimea will stay with Russia. And (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskyy understands that, and everybody understands that it’s been with them for a long time. It’s been with them long before Trump came along.”
He also predicted a new chapter in the Abraham Accords, suggesting Saudi Arabia would join the normalisation agreements with Israel that were negotiated during his first term.
On Iran, Trump reaffirmed his openness to negotiations, reportedly saying, “I think we’re going to make a deal with Iran.”
