Trump Wants Bilateral Deal With Ottawa Instead of NAFTA - White House

Trump earlier imposed harsh tariffs on steel and aluminum from many countries, including Canada and Mexico, prompting criticism and accusations of protectionism.

Trump's economic adviser Larry Kudlow revealed in an interview with Fox News that the US president is looking into striking separate bilateral agreements with Canada and Mexico instead of rescuing NAFTA. He also noted that Trump is especially interested in reaching such an agreement with Ottawa.

An anonymous senior Canadian official told AFP that Canada was not taking such an option off the table, but would prefer to keep the NAFTA agreement alive. Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo said in a statement that his country sees NAFTA as a more beneficial option for all parties.

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US President Donald Trump earlier announced the introduction of 25% import tariffs on steel and 10% tariffs on aluminum for many countries, including its allies, in a bid to "fix the trade balance." Canada, Mexico and European countries were temporarily relieved of the measure, but when the deadline came, Trump decided not to prolong the relief.