President Donald Trump has strongly endorsed the Aukus pact and praised Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese as a 'great' leader during a meeting at the White House. However, the US Navy Secretary indicated that Washington may seek to 'clarify some ambiguities' in the nuclear submarine deal. Trump and Albanese also signed a multibillion-dollar agreement for Australia to supply the United States with critical minerals, amid a deepening trade war as China threatens to cut its supply of rare earth elements.
In a wide-ranging press conference before their formal meeting, Trump assured the future of Aukus and said America had no better friend than Australia. He told Ambassador Kevin Rudd 'I don't like you' after Rudd's previous comments about the president were brought up. Trump did not repeat previous demands for Australia to raise defence spending, and Albanese suggested Trump visit Australia for the President's Cup golf tournament in Melbourne in 2028.
The critical minerals deal, worth $8.5bn, includes coordinated investment to accelerate development of diversified markets for critical minerals and rare earths. The agreement sets price mechanisms including price floors and commits to boosting mechanisms to deter asset sales on national security grounds. First projects include the Alcoa-Sojitz gallium project in Western Australia and the Arafura Nolans project in the Northern Territory.
Albanese called the deal 'a really significant day' to take the Australia-US relationship 'to the next level'. Trump added that 'in about a year from now, we'll have so much critical mineral and rare earths, that you won't know what to do with them.' The meeting included working lunch and was attended by US and Australian officials.
