Trade negotiations between the US and Canada are intensifying. In Washington, a meeting took place between US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Canada-US Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc, and US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Associated Press.

President Donald Trump's aggressive approach to Canada marks an extraordinary departure from the traditionally cooperative relationship between the two countries. Trump has imposed tariffs on Canadian goods in a push to bring manufacturing back to the US. He has also repeatedly made inflammatory comments about turning Canada into America's 51st state.

The Canadian public is fed up. A petition to expel the US ambassador has collected nearly 218,000 signatures since July 21. It accuses Ambassador Pete Hoekstra of having "normalized" Trump's talk of annexing Canada.

Tension could hit new heights at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday if Trump goes ahead with his plan to impose 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian products, ranging from hockey sticks to tongue depressors.

As the deadline approaches, the two countries are seeking a truce that would avoid the new round of tariffs. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters Monday, speaking in French: "We are negotiating. The negotiations are very intense and delicate. This is not the time to talk about negotiations in public."

Nearly 72% of Canadian goods are exported to the US, highlighting the importance of economic ties between the two countries. Nearly 330,000 people and $2 billion worth of goods cross the US-Canada border every day; 800,000 Canadians live in the United States.

The US and Canada have wrangled for decades over trade, including Canadian softwood lumber imports and US access to Canada's protected dairy market. Yet the two neighbors still managed to remain friends, allies, and trading partners. Canadian soldiers fought alongside Americans in Afghanistan after 9/11. The 5,525-mile US-Canada border is undefended.

As reported by Associated Press, negotiations are ongoing intensely, but no concrete results yet. Both countries are trying to prevent a trade war.