Bessent has said the discussions in Switzerland may focus on “de-escalation” and certainly a “big business deal”.
The head of the Geneva-based World Trade Organization ( WTO ), Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said on Friday she welcomed the talks, calling them a “positive and constructive step toward de-escalation”.
” Supported dialogue between the country’s two largest economy is important to easing business tensions, preventing separation along political lines and safeguarding world growth,” she said according to a spokesperson.
Swedish President Karin Keller-Sutter likewise sounded an upbeat note.
” Tuesday the Holy Spirit was in Rome,” she said on Friday, referring to the election of Pope Leo XIV.
” We must hope that he will then go down to Geneva for the trip. “
10 A CENT BASELINE
Bessent and He will meet two weeks after Trump unveiled what he called a traditional business partnership with Britain, the first deal with any state since he unleashed a battle of sweeping world tariffs last quarter.
The five-page, non-legally bound report confirmed to anxious investors that the United States is willing to negotiate sector-specific alleviation from new duties- in this case, on American cars, steel and aluminium.
In returning, Britain agreed to open up its businesses to US meat and other farm products.
But a 10 per cent foundation tax on most American goods remained unchanged, and Trump remains” dedicated” to keeping it in place for other places in talks with the United States, Leavitt told reporters.
A few hours later, Trump appeared to contradict her, suggesting there could be some flexibility to the baseline- but only if the right deals could be reached.
” There could be an exception at some point. We’ll see,” he said during an Oval Office event.
” If somebody did something exceptional for us, that’s always possible. “