*Administration of Donald J. Trump, 2018 *

**Remarks Prior to a Meeting With Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan and an Exchange With Reporters in Buenos Aires, Argentina **

*November 30, 2018 *

*President Trump. *So it's a great honor to be with my friend, Shinzo Abe, Prime Minister of Japan, who has just had a very big success in his election. He won by a massive amount. [*Laughter*] And I'm not surprised at all.

I just want to say that we have many things that we'll be talking about, in particular protection, military-type. Also trade: We're doing a lot of business with Japan in trade. The deficit is coming down. It's a massive deficit between the—between Japan and the United States, and it's coming down.

Japan is buying large amounts of our fighter jets, our F–35s and others, and we appreciate it very much. But they are really working with me on trying to balance our deficit, because we do have a deficit that's pretty substantial with Japan. We hope that we're going to be balancing it very quickly.

Just in finishing, we're two countries that are doing very well in many different ways. Our military working together, having to do with North Korea and other factors, really has been very strong. Our partnership has been quite extraordinary, and we will be together for a long time.

I think probably there's no time in our history where we're closer. And I'll be going to a tremendous event in Japan; I was very honored to be invited. Your Emperor.

*Prime Minister Abe.* So once again, from the outset, I would like congratulate you on your historic victory in the midterm election in the United States.

And, as of now, as you rightly mentioned, the alliance between Japan and the United States has become more robust than ever. And also this mere fact that we are having another round of summit meeting on the margins of this G–20 summit is actually the symbol of the robustness of our alliance.

So every time, when we see each other, we always have a very candid discussion. And today I look forward to having another candid discussion with you on the regional affairs, including North Korea, as well as Japan-U.S. economic relations, of course, including our trade relations and other important topics.

*President Trump. *Thank you very much, Shinzo. Thank you.

Thank you all very much. Appreciate it. Thank you.

*Cancellation of the President's Meeting With President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin of Russia/Russia-Ukraine Naval Confrontation in the Kerch Strait *

*Q. *Mr. President, why cancel the Putin summit?

*President Trump. *Thank you very much.

Ukraine. Purely and simply, Ukraine.

*Q. *Ukraine. *President Trump.* We don't like what happened. We're not happy about it; nobody is. And hopefully, they'll be able to settle it out soon, because we look forward to meeting with President Putin. But on the basis of what took place with respect to the ships and the sailors, that was the sole reason.

Thank you very much, everybody.

*China-U.S. Trade Relations *

*Q. *Mr. President, will you be talking about China?

*President Trump. *We'll be meeting with China, as you know. Yes. We'll be meeting tomorrow, and we've already spoken. And we're working very hard. If we could make a deal, that would be good. I think they want to, and I think we'd like to. And we'll see.

But we'll be meeting with President Xi in a little while, but in—for the most part, tomorrow, I would say, would be our big meeting. But in the meantime, people are working, our staff is working, and we have a lot of very talented people working. Larry Kudlow's representatives are dealing with them on a constant basis.

There's some good signs. We'll see what happens. Thank you. Thank you. Good question.

Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you. Please.

NOTE: The President spoke at 1:50 p.m. at the Centro Costa Salguero convention center. In his remarks, he referred to Emperor Akihito of Japan; and National Economic Council Director Lawrence A. Kudlow. Prime Minister Abe spoke in Japanese, and his remarks were translated by an interpreter.

*DCPD Number:* DCPD201800819.

* Editors: JL/WH.gov JL JMM