Meeting with Swiss President Simonetta Sommaruga at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, US President Trump said he wants to fast-track a deal to strengthen trade relations with the two countries. 

“Let’s see what we can do…. I would like to have an agreement on trade” Trump said during the meeting. 

The Swiss President later told the media that the discussion was “very open” and lasted longer than initially planned. 

Although the US President’s statements are positive for free trade advocates, the American leader made similar statements in May of 2019. 

Attempts to develop a trade agreement between the two countries have been previously stalled due to disagreements mainly related to agriculture. 

The US president also agreed in principle with a Swiss plan to create a ‘humanitarian channel’ through which payments can be made. 

Less willingness on non-trade-related issues

President Sommaruga’s efforts to get a greater degree of US commitment on issues not related to trade were less successful however. 

READ MORE: Did you know? Two-thirds of Switzerland's energy comes from renewables

Sommaruga said urgent action was required on climate change to address a “burning world” which “concerns us all”. 

Trump however remained non-committal, saying only that he was a fan of Switzerland’s use of hydro-power. 

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