Washington: US President Donald Trump has lauded Canadian Prime Minister Justine Trudeau’s decision to increase the defence budget by 70 per cent over the next decade and hailed the strong alliance between the two nations.
“President Donald J Trump spoke with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada to address various aspects of the strong bilateral relationship between their two countries,” the White House said in a readout of the phone call between the two leaders.
“President Trump commended Prime Minister Trudeau for Canada’s recent announcement that it will increase military spending by 70 per cent over the next decade,” the White House said.
During the phone call, Trump underscored the solid alliance that the US enjoys with Canada, it said. Canada had announced plans to increase its defence budget early this month, by nearly three quarters over the next decade, after coming under pressure from the US to boost military spending.
Trump also spoke with Peru’s President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski to discuss bilateral and regional issues. “The two leaders affirmed the strong bilateral relationship between the United States and Peru. They also discussed the terrible situation in Venezuela,” the White House said.
PTI