Trump stokes Brexit turmoil at start of visit
■ US Prez claims security alliance partners promise to hike defence budget
London, July 12: Donald Trump began a protestladen trip to Britain Thursday by questioning whether Prime Minister Theresa May will deliver on UK voters’ intentions when they decided to quit the European Union.
The convention- shredding US President ignored diplomatic niceties ahead of touching down for the four- day visit — his first to Britain since taking power — by rebuking his beleaguered host as she battles to stop her government falling apart over Brexit.
“The people voted to break it up ( Britain’s ties with the EU),” Mr Trump said in Brussels just before flying to London.
“So I would imagine that’s what they will do, but maybe they will take a little bit of a different route. I don’t know ( if) that is what they voted for,” he added.
Mr Trump is set to largely avoid mass protests planned for his controversial trip, which includes talks with May, tea with Queen Elizabeth II and a private weekend in Scotland.
Brussels, July 12: US President Donald Trump on Thursday hailed the “tremendous progress” on defence spending commitments by members of the security alliance Nato, saying two days of tough talks had left the alliance “much stronger”.
“We made a tremendous amount of progress today,” Trump said after emergency talks with fellow Nato leaders prompted by his demands for allies to boost military budgets immediately.
“Everyone’s agreed to substantially increase their commitment — they’re going to up it at levels they’ve never thought of before.”
The American president had thrown the summit into crisis by demanding countries meet a spending target of two per cent of GDP immediately as per the guidelines agreed to in 2006, instead of by 2024, and to eventually double spending to four per cent.
The US President has long been complaining that the European countries do not spend enough money on their own defence, leaving the US to shoulder an unfair burden for protecting the continent.
“I let them know I was extremely unhappy with what was happening and they have substantially upped their commitment and now we are very happy and have a very, very powerful, very strong security alliance much stronger than it as two days ago,” he said.
Trump stated his commitment to Nato, speaking after reports that he had warned leaders that the United States could pull out of the alliance if other members failed to increase their contributions.
“The US were not treated fairly, but now we are. I believe in Nato,” Trump told a press conference after a fraught Nato summit in Brussels.
“The US commitment to Nato remains very strong,” Trump added, “mainly because ( of) the additional money they’ve committed.”