美国总统特朗普周一表示,英国离开欧盟的协议可能使华盛顿和伦敦之间的贸易更加困难,不过英国首相办公室对他的解读提出不同意见。
特朗普在白宫外对记者表示,这一协议听起来似乎对欧盟有利,不过“我认为我们必须认真研究一下英国是否获准进行贸易”。
他说,“因为从现在来看这一协议,他们可能无法与我们开展贸易,”他说, “这不会是一件好事。我想这不是他们的意思。”
特朗普表示他希望英国首相特蕾莎-梅能够解决这个问题,但他没有具体说明他所关注的是哪一项协议条款。
梅首相办公室的发言人表示,与欧盟达成的协议允许英国与世界各国签署贸易协议,包括与美国。
该发言人说:“我们已经通过我们的联合工作组为与美国达成一项雄心勃勃的协议奠定了基础,该工作组迄今为止已经召开了五次会议。”
根据周日与欧盟领导人达成的协议,英国将在三月份离开欧盟,但继续保持密切的贸易关系。不过看起来梅首相想要这一协议在分裂的英国议会得到批准的难度很大。
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday the agreement allowing the United Kingdom to leave the European Union may make trade between Washington and London more difficult, but the U.K. prime minister’s office disputed his interpretation.
Trump told reporters outside the White House that the deal sounded like it would be good for the European Union, but “I think we have to take a look seriously whether or not the U.K. is allowed to trade.
“Because right now if you look at the deal, they may not be able to trade with us,” he said. “And that wouldn’t be a good thing. I don’t think they meant that.”
He said he hoped British Prime Minister Theresa May would be able to address the problem, but he did not specify which provision of the deal he was concerned about.
A spokeswoman for May’s office said the agreement struck with the EU allowed the U.K. to sign trade deals with countries throughout the world, including with the United States.
“We have already been laying the groundwork for an ambitious agreement with the U.S. through our joint working groups, which have met five times so far,” the spokeswoman said.
Under the deal secured with EU leaders on Sunday, the U.K. will leave the bloc in March with continued close trade ties. But the odds look stacked against May getting it approved by a divided British parliament.