The prime minister of Canada is visiting three cities in the United States next month to drum up support for NAFTA, but Donald Trump’s Washington is conspicuously not one of them.

Justin Trudeau plans to visit Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago from Feb. 7 to Feb. 10 in an effort to “further strengthen the deep bonds that unite Canada and the United States,” as his office put it.

The visit by Trudeau will come shortly after the latest round of negotiations by the U.S., Mexico and Canada to salvage NAFTA. Trump has warned he will pull out of the trade pact unless Mexico and Canada grant certain concessions that both countries have been resisting.

The visit is part of a surprisingly aggressive strategy by Canada to forestall a U.S. exit and hit back at sanctions imposed by the Trump administration.

Read:Why Trump may be more willing to stay in NAFTA ahead of U.S., Mexico elections

Earlier this month, for example, Canada angered the White House by filing a broad complaint with the World Trade Organization against punitive trade measures imposed by the U.S. on certain foreign products, including Canadian lumber.

Trudeau, for his part, has chosen some telling venues to deliver his pro-trade remarks.

In Los Angeles, for instance, he will deliver a speech at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. The 40th U.S. president, revered by Republicans, was generally a strong supporter of free trade.

And in Chicago, Trudeau is scheduled to appear at the University of Chicago, long a bastion for free-market economics.

Trudeau’s goal is obvious. Strengthen ties with various groups in the U.S. including big business, that support NAFTA. Many of these groups, such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, have been pressuring the administration to keep the trade agreement alive.

“I look forward to meeting with government and business leaders in the United States again to explore new opportunities for collaboration and growth, so we can build a more prosperous future for people in both countries,” Trudeau said in a statement.