Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter met to discuss trade on Wednesday, one day before President Trump’s steep tariffs were slated to take effect.
Keller-Sutter, who also serves as finance minister, and Vice President Guy Parmelin, who is also the economic minister, traveled to Washington this week in a last-ditch effort to strike a deal with the United States after Trump announced last week a 39 percent tariff rate on exports from Switzerland.
When Trump initially unveiled his sweeping tariffs in April, it was lower, at 31 percent.
In a readout of the meeting of the three officials, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce did not offer any details about a prospective deal but said Rubio met with the Swiss leaders “to discuss the importance of a fair and balanced trade relationship that benefits the American people.”
She said they also “reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral defense cooperation.”
Swiss companies are slated to face some of the steepest U.S. tariffs, with only Laos, Myanmar and Syria paying higher rates, at 40 percent to 41 percent.
Ahead of the meeting, the nation’s cabinet, the Federal Council, said in a statement, =”Switzerland enters this new phase ready to present a more attractive offer, taking U.S. concerns into account and seeking to ease the current tariff situation,” according to Reuters.
Pharmaceuticals, watches and chocolate are among the major exports from Switzerland to the U.S.
