Trump to host Greek leader later this month

President Trump will host Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras at the White House this month, press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement. 

Tsipras is set to travel to Washington on Oct. 17 to meet with Trump about regional defense and security cooperation, among other bilateral issues, including energy and economic investment, the White House said.

“President Trump and Prime Minister Tsipras will discuss ways to enhance our partnership and demonstrate our shared commitment to enduring democratic values that are so important to securing peace and prosperity around the world,” Sanders said.

Trump and Tsipras come from opposite ends of the political spectrum but are both considered by many to be political outsiders and populists.{mosads}

The visit is likely to draw attention from Europe. The United States financially supports the International Monetary Fund (IMF) which, alongside other creditors, has offered loans to Greece since 2010 in order to keep its economy afloat.

The Trump administration has not announced whether it will maintain its same level of financial support to the IMF, but Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has said in the past that the U.S. supports the IMF. Still, the Trump administration has stressed an “America First” approach to international relations.

“I’ve had the pleasure of meeting [IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde] at least a dozen times,” Mnuchin said in June. “I think the IMF plays a very important role in looking at currency and world economies. The IMF was very helpful in regards to stabilizing the Greece [financial crisis] and working with Europe. I think that could have been a major problem this summer that would have had significant concerns to the markets and the economy, and I think she was a very important part of those negotiations.”