It was with great satisfaction to hear US President Trump at the Maximus Mansion last night, on the one hand to “put on ice” for a while the harsh tariffs for Europe, and on the other hand to refer in positive terms to Kyriakos Mitsotakis and his proposal via the pro-Trump website Breitbart for a win-win agreement between Europe and the US on their trade relations. Trump called the prime minister a “good man”, saying he knows him and appreciates his comments on a fair deal.

It is no secret that the “black” prospect of the horizontal implementation of tariffs was and is of particular concern to the government, as the consequences may not be immediate, but from 2026 the Greek economy could feel considerable pressure. Hence Mitsotakis made a strategic move, to speak to one of the outlets that Mr Trump himself reads daily, the conservative website Breitbart.

With this interview, the prime minister wanted to send a message of negotiation to Washington, while showing that Athens does not subscribe to the logic of a “blind” confrontation with the United States. “On the European front, there is the possibility of finding a win-win solution on trade, a solution that will be mutually beneficial. This has been my firm conviction from the beginning, before the tariffs were announced.There is still room for negotiations before we consider any significant retaliatory measures,” Mitsotakis said, implicitly but clearly agreeing with Italian Prime Minister Meloni’s view that Europe should not “put its hand on the knife” and come to a direct break with Washington.

It should be noted that in the negotiation with the EU on the response to the US tariffs on steel and aluminum, Greece requested and succeeded in excluding from this retaliatory package the imports of US almonds and dairy products so as not to hurt the critical market for our country.

At the same time, Mitsotakis insists on an autonomous, strategic relationship between the US and Greece, noting that, just as he had worked with President Trump before, he can do so again today. And he presented IMEC, the energy cooperation “corridor” with India as a counterbalance to a similar initiative by China, which has been elevated to the “ultimate evil” for President Trump.

Samples

Before heading to the Delphi Forum for his discussion with author Robert Kaplan, Kyriakos Mitsotakis is hitting the road again for tours, continuing the logic of extroversion after a long period.

Mitsotakis had visited Kozani earlier in the day, while today it is the turn of Boiotia, starting from Oinofita, where he will meet with the Board of Directors of the Association of Industries of Central Greece. Next up at noon is the town of Livadia, where he will speak at a café in the town, and the Holy Monastery of Saint Luke; we are in the final stretch before Easter.

With the political climate now seeming milder and the staff at the Maximou building seeing an “upward correction” in the government’s polling image after a long period of pressure due to the Tempi tragedy, Mitsotakis aims to be out of Maximou at least twice a month, visiting the region. In these tours, he also highlights a number of government “deliverables”, while outlining government priorities for the next period.

Interior party reconciliation

At the same time, at the Mansion House they are also attempting to “close” internal fronts. In fact, these days MPs who have raised concerns are passing the threshold of the government staff, such as the Dodecanese MP Vassilis Ypsilantis who saw the Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis, while the day before yesterday the MP for Thesprotia Vassilis Giogiakas had a meeting with the Prime Minister.

At the same time, the new secretary of the ND’s CSO Apostolos Vessiropoulos yesterday convened a meeting of “blue” MPs with Development Minister Takis Theodorikakos on the bill coming up for the reform of the development law and industry in Attica. In fact, the aim is to continue the informative meetings in the coming period.