Page 2 - aruba-today-20170701

A2 UP FRONT
Saturday 1 July 2017
Trump, Moon show resolve on North Korea Trump, Putin facing high-stakes

By MATTHEW PENNINGTON national agenda, Trump South Korea.” meeting in Germany next week
Associated Press highlighted America’s To rub it in, Trump called on
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- trade imbalance with his top economic officials By KEN THOMAS fense Department official
dent Donald Trump and South Korea. Two-way to address their grievances VIVIAN SALAMA under President Barack
South Korea’s new leader trade in goods and servic- to Moon in front of journal- Associated Press Obama. “He wants the
showed joint resolve on es was $144 billion last year, ists. WASHINGTON (AP) — meeting and the photo
North Korea on Friday de- with the U.S. running a $17 Commerce Secretary Wil- Meeting face-to-face with more than the discussion.”
spite their divergent phi- billion deficit.”The fact is bur Ross said the trade im- Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry
losophies for addressing that the United States has balance had grown sharp- Putin, President Donald Peskov told Russian news
the nuclear threat, yet the trade deficits with many, ly since the trade deal took Trump’s “America First” agencies after the White
U.S. opened up a new front many countries, and we effect due to unfair “rule- policy will be put to the House’s announcement
of discord by demanding cannot allow that to con- making” governing U.S. in-
test if he opts to confront that Putin is expecting to
Russia over intelligence meet with Trump in Ham-
that Moscow meddled burg. They “will meet at
in the 2016 presidential the summit in one way or
election. National secu- another. We have said
rity adviser H.R. McMaster it before,” he told state-
said Thursday that Trump owned RIA Novosti news
will meet with Putin along agency.
the sidelines of the annual McMaster and White
Group of 20 meeting in House economic adviser
Hamburg, Germany, part Gary Cohn would not say
of an itinerary that will in- whether the president in-
clude meetings with sev- tends to address accusa-
eral world leaders. tions that Russia interfered
Trump will face the chal- in the 2016 presidential
lenge of working with Rus- election, saying the agen-
sia toward common goals da is “not finalized” for this
in Syria and Ukraine, while or any other meeting.
also potentially broach- “Our relationship with Rus-
ing allegations about sia is not different from
Moscow’s interferences in that with any other coun-
the U.S. elections and ac- try in terms of us communi-
cusations that some of his cating to them really what
associates may have had our concerns are, where
President Donald Trump meets with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in the Oval Office of the contact with Russian offi- we see problems with the
White House in Washington, Friday, June 30, 2017. cials during the 2016 cam- relationship but also op-
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci) paign and the transition. portunities,” McMaster
All 17 U.S. intelligence said. Many administration
a renegotiation of a land- tinue,” Trump said. “And dustrial products entering agencies have agreed officials believe the U.S.
mark 2012 trade pact be- we’ll start with South Korea South Korea, particularly that Russia was behind needs to maintain its dis-
tween the two countries. right now.” autos. last year’s hack of the tance from Russia at such
Concluding two days of Ahead of their first face- It all amounted to an un- Democratic Party’s email a sensitive time — and
meetings at the White to-face discussions, South usual display of one-up- systems and tried to influ- interact only with great
House, Trump and Presi- Korean companies an- manship in a meeting be- ence the 2016 election to caution.
dent Moon Jae-in each nounced plans to invest tween close allies. After the benefit Trump. Some advisers have rec-
delivered tough talk oppos- US$12.8 billion in the U.S. talks, Moon largely skirted Trump will be under pres- ommended that the pres-
ing North Korea’s develop- over the next half-decade. the differences on trade, sure to side with the U.S. ident instead do either
ment of atomic weapons Nevertheless, Trump wasn’t calling the U.S.-South Ko- intelligence agencies and a quick, informal “pull-
that could soon threaten placated. He said the two rean economic partnership press Putin on the issue of aside” on the sidelines of
both allies. sides would renegotiate a an “essential pillar” of the election meddling, some- the summit, or that the
The “reckless and brutal 2012 free trade agreement, alliance. thing he has thus far been U.S. and Russian delega-
regime” requires a deter- calling it a “rough deal” Such language is tradition- reluctant to do. Trump’s tions hold “strategic stabil-
mined reply, Trump said. for America, echoing the ally reserved for their joint promise of closer coop- ity talks,” which typically
And Moon, who has long sentiments he has voiced effort in the 1950-53 Korean eration with Russia has don’t involve the presi-
advocated outreach to about the North American War and the ongoing pres- prompted concerns that dents, according to cur-
Pyongyang, vowed a Free Trade Agreement ence of 28,000 U.S. forces in the U.S. will have dimin- rent and former adminis-
“stern response” to provo- with Canada and Mexico. South Korea. ished leverage over glob- tration officials.
cation, promising to coor- The White House later con- After the flood of accu- al issues and he could be The officials spoke on
dinate closely with Trump firmed Trump has asked his sations of South Korean more sympathetic to Rus- condition of anonymity
as he looks to intensify trade representative to be- wrongdoing, Moon said sia. because they weren’t au-
economic and diplomatic gin the process of renego- through an interpreter: Trump has staunchly de- thorized to discuss private
pressure on North Korea. tiation. “Economic growth and job nied that he had any policy matters by name.
While they avoided a po- Trump accused Seoul of creation will be promoted contacts with Russia dur- The U.S.-Russian relation-
tential conflict on the most helping steel reach the U.S. to ensure our peoples enjoy ing his campaign. Russian ship deteriorated during
burning national security at unfairly low prices. It was greater mutual benefits.” officials have denied any Obama’s eight years in
crisis facing each country, an apparently reference to South Korea is America’s meddling in the 2016 elec- office when the Obama
they showed little harmony Chinese steel. Trump also seventh largest market for tion. “Putin is all about op- administration slapped
on trade. demanded that market exported goods such as tics and symbolism,” said sanctions on Moscow
Summoning the econom- barriers to U.S. auto makers U.S. electrical machinery, Julianne Smith, a National over its annexation of
ic nationalism that has be lifted to give them “a aircraft, medical instru- Security Council and De- Crimea from Ukraine.q
marked much of his inter- fair shake at dealing with ments and beef. q