Less than two weeks before returning to the White House, US President-elect Donald Trump shared his views on a range of foreign affairs issues, from his intention to control the Panama Canal and buy Greenland to Ukraine and NATO military spending. In his first press conference since being confirmed by the US Congress, he focused heavily on foreign affairs, in contrast to his statements during the campaign that focused more on domestic issues.
Trump does not rule out using force to control the Panama Canal, Greenland
Military pressure
During the press conference, which lasted about an hour on January 7 at the Mar-a-Lago resort (Florida state), Mr. Trump said he "cannot guarantee" that he would not use military or economic pressure to control the Panama Canal and the Danish island of Greenland. "No, I can't guarantee you about either of those things, but I can say this, we need them (the Panama Canal and Greenland) for economic security," The New York Times quoted Mr. Trump as saying.
Mr. Trump speaks at a press conference at Mar-a-Lago on January 7.
The US used to control the Panama Canal, but the US administration under President Jimmy Carter (in office from 1977 to 1981) signed an agreement to return this right to Panama in 1999. Panamanian Foreign Minister Javier Martinez-Acha immediately voiced his objection. "The only hands controlling the canal are Panamanians and that will continue," Reuters quoted the diplomat as emphasizing.
During the press conference, Mr. Trump also suggested that Denmark would be taxed if it rejected his offer to buy Greenland. Greenland is an autonomous territory of Denmark, which has previously said that Greenland is not for sale. "I don't think it's a good idea to fight each other financially when we are close allies and partners," Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said after Mr. Trump's press conference.
"American Gulf, Canada"
Following his territorial claims, Mr. Trump also said he would rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. "It covers a lot of territory, the Gulf of America - a beautiful name and it fits," he said, repeating his call for Mexico to help stop illegal immigration at the border. Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene later announced that she would introduce a bill to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. On January 7, the Republican-controlled US House of Representatives passed a bill to deport undocumented immigrants if convicted.
During the press conference, Mr. Trump again raised the idea of making Canada a US state, criticizing the trade deficit and military support for Ottawa. He said that the US did not benefit from those things and called the border between the two countries an "artificial line". Responding to the above statement, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said that it "shows a complete lack of understanding" of what makes Canada a strong country. "Our economy is strong. Our people are strong. We will never back down in the face of threats," she said.
President Zelensky: Peace is not a free gift, but the US will stand by Ukraine
Ukraine, NATO
On the Ukraine issue, Mr. Trump shared his hope to resolve the conflict in Ukraine within 6 months. "Look, Russia is losing a lot of young people and Ukraine is losing a lot of young people. That should never happen," according to Mr. Trump.
Regarding the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO, Mr. Trump said he sympathized with Russia's view that Ukraine should not join. He accused President Joe Biden of changing his position on the issue of Ukraine joining the alliance. "Russia has someone on their doorstep, and I can understand their feelings about that," Mr. Trump said. Since the 2008 summit in Bucharest, Romania, NATO countries have formally expressed support for Ukraine's admission. The Biden administration continues to support this. However, Mr. Trump's aides and allies often oppose it because they see it as an unnecessary provocation to Russia. On the Ukrainian side, leaders have pushed for the country to join NATO because they believe it will help deter future Russian military action.
Regarding NATO's activities, Mr. Trump said he would require member countries to spend more on defense than the current target of 2% of GDP. "I think NATO should spend 5%. They absolutely can do that," he said. NATO estimates that 23 of its 32 members will meet the target of spending 2% of GDP on defense in 2024. No country, including the US, spends 5%. Poland is the country with the highest spending at 4.12% of GDP, followed by Estonia (3.43%) and the US (3.38%).
Facebook cancels fact-checking program
Social media company Meta Platforms announced on January 7 that it would be ending its censorship program in the United States. This will ease restrictions on controversial topics such as immigration and gender identity on Meta's social networks. Meta will implement a "community notes" system, similar to the one on billionaire Elon Musk's X platform - allowing users to point out potentially misleading posts that need more context, rather than leaving the responsibility to the moderation program. Meta will also stop proactively scanning for hate speech and other violations, and will only review such posts when reported by users.
According to Reuters, this is the biggest reform of the technology giant in managing political content on social networks in the context of Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg wanting to mend relations with the upcoming administration of US President-elect Donald Trump.
Tri Do
Venezuela says it has arrested a group of "mercenaries" that includes US citizens
Reuters reported on January 7 that Venezuelan authorities had arrested seven foreign nationals whom President Nicolas Maduro called “mercenaries,” including two U.S. citizens believed to hold high positions. Speaking on national television, Mr. Maduro said the seven were involved in planning a “terrorist act” ahead of his inauguration on January 10.
The US State Department did not immediately comment on the information. Earlier on January 6, US President Joe Biden welcomed opposition candidate in the Venezuelan presidential election, Mr. Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, to the White House. The US and a number of countries believe that Mr. Gonzalez was the winner of the July 2024 election and that President Maduro's re-election was fraudulent. In a related development, Mr. Gonzalez said that his son-in-law Rafael Tudares was kidnapped on January 7 in the Venezuelan capital Caracas.
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Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ong-trump-gia-tang-ap-luc-doi-ngoai-185250108222622204.htm
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