British Prime Minister Theresa May says that she will stress the importance of Nato and the European Union when she meets new US President Donald Trump, the Financial Times said yesterday, as other reports said Trump and May could meet as early as next week.
Despite Trump suggesting before his inauguration that the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) was no longer useful, May told the newspaper she believes he “recognises the importance and significance of Nato”.
“I’m also confident the USA will recognise the importance of the co-operation we have in Europe to ensure our collective defence and collective security,” she said.
May said Britain’s Brexit decision “was not a decision about breaking up the EU”.
“I want the EU to continue to be strong and I want to continue to have a close and strategic partnership with the EU,” she said. “With the threats we face it’s not the time for less co-operation.”
The newspaper said May declined to comment on speculation that she could meet Trump in Washington “within days”.
The Telegraph quoted unidentified sources as saying May plans to fly to Washington on Thursday, potentially making her the first foreign leader to hold face-to-face talks with Trump since his inauguration.
“The visit has been brought forward after Steve Bannon, Mr Trump’s chief strategist, reached out to appeal for an early trip,” the newspaper said.
The Financial Times said she planned to be “very frank” in discussions with Trump and aimed to build a “very special relationship” between the two governments.
May said she hoped the two sides would be able to prepare the ground for a bilateral trade deal before Britain formally leaves the EU.
Asked about potential difficulties in working with the US president after he was accused of a series of sexist and racist remarks made during his election campaign, May said she had been “clear about those areas where I feel some of the comments he has made were unacceptable”.
“He has apologised for those comments,” she said.
The Telegraph quoted an unnamed British government source as saying that Trump’s team is “really keen to capture the Reagan-Thatcher idea: a new populist in the White House and a strong woman in Number 10”.
Asked about Trump’s stated desire to emulate the closeness of US-British relations under Reagan and Thatcher, May told the Financial Times that she was not someone who goes around with a model she wants to emulate from the past.
“When [Trump] says that, he means he wants it to be a very special relationship and I’m confident we can make it such,” she said.
May: I’m confident the US will recognise the importance of the co-operation we have in Europe to ensure our collective defence and collective security.
