President Obama defended his free trade policy in the face of European skepticism on Tuesday, by arguing against the “protectionist” movements in the U.S. and abroad while supporting “strong safety nets” for workers whose jobs move overseas.

“In our global economy where so much of our prosperity depends on trade between our countries, it’s simply not possible to withdraw and pull up the drawbridge,” Obama said in an interview with the Italian newspaper La Repubblica ahead of Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s visit to Washington Tuesday.