WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump has said that Washington is close to reaching a new trade agreement with Canada, expressing optimism that the two neighbouring countries could soon resolve their ongoing trade dispute.
Speaking in an interview with Fox News on Tuesday, Trump described the potential agreement as a positive development for both countries, saying that negotiations were moving towards a deal.
“Canada is very good, we’re going to make a deal with Canada very soon. We’re going to make a great deal,” Trump said.
However, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has cautioned that negotiations remain ongoing and that the two sides have yet to reach a final agreement, despite what he described as progress in recent discussions.
Carney said the United States had withdrawn several of its previous demands, including a controversial proposal that would have given Washington the authority to exercise final approval over trade agreements Canada seeks to establish with other countries.
The Canadian prime minister described the latest developments as a shift in Washington’s negotiating position, indicating that the United States was now making fewer demands and offering more concessions.
“We’ve made progress, but we haven’t finished,” Carney said, stressing that further discussions would be necessary before a comprehensive agreement could be finalised.
The negotiations come after months of growing trade tensions between the United States and Canada, during which both countries imposed billions of dollars in tariffs on each other’s products.
The dispute has affected economic relations between the two countries, raising concerns among businesses, manufacturers, farmers and workers who depend on cross-border trade.
Canada and the United States maintain one of the world’s most closely integrated economic relationships, with substantial trade flows involving automobiles, agricultural products, energy, steel and other industrial goods.
The latest diplomatic engagement between Trump and Carney has raised expectations that the two governments could reach an understanding to ease trade restrictions and restore greater stability to their economic relationship.
Nevertheless, significant negotiations remain ahead, and neither government has announced a completed agreement.
For now, both leaders have indicated that discussions are continuing, with the possibility of a new trade deal remaining on the table.
