Donald to travel to Brussels for NATO summit in May

US President Donald Trump will visit Brussels on May 25 on his first foreign trip to attend a meeting with leaders from countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), which he had dubbed as “obsolete”.

“The President looks forward to meeting with his NATO counterparts to reaffirm our strong commitment to NATO, and to discuss issues critical to the alliance, especially allied responsibility-sharing and NATO’s role in the fight against terrorism,” the White House said in a statement.

Trump’s trip to Brussels, Belgium for the NATO Summit would be his first overseas visit after he was sworn in as the 45th President of the US on January 20.

During his election campaign, Trump had asserted that the NATO allies must pay their fair share for the cost of defence, while in January he dismissed the alliance as “obsolete.”

However, Trump last week reaffirmed the US’s commitment to the military bloc. He has also committed himself to travel to Germany later this summer to attend the G-20 Summit which among others would be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Modi has been invited by Trump for a White House meeting this year. Modi has also extended Trump an invitation to visit India. Both have accepted the invitations and dates are being worked out. In case of no additional travel, the G-20 Summit could be the earliest opportunity for a ModiTrump meeting.

Trump’s first visit to a NATO summit is considered as significant given that traditionally the new US President’s overseas travel has been to a neighbouring country.

New US Prez’s 1st overseas travel is usually to a neighbouring country.