Trump hails a ‘stronger’ Nato as allies agree to spend more
US President Donald Trump on Thursday reaffirmed Washington’s “very strong” commitment to Nato after the military alliance’s summit in Brussels was upended by an emergency meeting to address his demand that members quickly meet defence spending targets.
Speaking at an impromptu news conference, Mr Trump said Nato was now “very unified” and that it was unnecessary for the US to withdraw from the alliance, which turns 70 next year. The allies had agreed to sharply increase their defence spending, he said.
His comment that there had been “tremendous progress” reassured European allies he has censured for days about their contributions and unfair treatment of the US, Nato’s biggest donor.
Mr Trump hinted at the emergency meeting that the US would go it alone if other Nato members did not immediately pledge to meet the target of spending 2 per cent of GDP on defence – a level agreed upon in 2014 and to be met by 2024.
But there was no direct threat to leave the organisation, according to a Nato official briefed on the meeting.
“This rumour that he threatened to leave Nato is totally bogus,” the source said.
Another official said there was expectation that Mr Trump would bash the organisation in his press conference. High-level Nato officials were expecting the worst, with the alliance appearing to be in crisis just minutes before he took to the stage, and were caught by surprise when the president spoke warmly about the alliance.
Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that member states had committed to “redouble their efforts” at the emergency meeting and that “new money has come in”,
without providing specifics. He said the 29 members had a “frank discussion” that had created a “new sense of urgency” because of the US president’s hard line on defence spending.
Mr Stoltenberg summoned the meeting after Mr Trump publicly called on alliance members to double their defence budgets from 2 per cent of GDP to 4 per cent. The American leader hailed the meeting as a personal victory, saying that his demands had cajoled the other Nato members into action.
“The people have stepped up today like they have never stepped up before. We had a really great meeting today. Everybody in that room ... agreed to pay more, and they agreed to pay it more quickly,” Mr Trump said. “Yesterday, I let them know I was extremely unhappy with what was happening. Now, we have a strong Nato. Much stronger than it was two days ago.”
Mr Trump offered little in terms of specifics about who had offered what, or who had changed their plans on defence spending. He even said that some countries would have to go back for approval from their parliaments before any increase would be confirmed.
French President Emmanuel Macron disputed the version of his US counterpart, saying the alliance had again committed to reaching the 2 per cent threshold by 2024 but no more.
He said the meeting with Mr Trump had been cordial.
“I read the 140-character messages,” Mr Macron said. “The debates took a different tone. They were frank but there was no finger-pointing or lack of respect.” Echoing Mr Trump’s remarks, he said the alliance was “much stronger” after the summit. After days of Mr Stoltenberg’s attempts to portray a united Nato, Mr Trump uttered words to that effect for the first time since arriving in Brussels.
He said the alliance was now “very unified, very strong, no problem. The US was not treated fairly, but now we are. I believe in Nato,” Mr Trump said after the summit.
“The US commitment to Nato remains very strong. Mainly because of the additional money they’ve committed.” German Chancellor Angela Merkel said “there was a clear commitment to Nato by all” at the emergency meeting.
Mr Trump has condemned European allies for leaving the US with an unfair deal in which it pays 3.5 per cent of its GDP towards defence spending, while others pay as little as 1 per cent.
Asked what he would do should other members fail to meet the 2 per cent target, the US president said he was confident they would keep their promise. “They will. They all made commitments,” he said.
Mr Trump called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “competitor” and not an “enemy”, and said he would discuss Syria, the conflict in Ukraine and Moscow’s alleged meddling in the US presidential election with him. “All I can do is say ‘did you?’ and ‘don’t do it again’. He may deny,” Mr Trump said.
The US leader has garnered a reputation for tweeting insults from Air Force One after leaving his foreign gatherings. But would he do the same after departing from Brussels?
“That’s not me. I’m very consistent. I’m a very stable genius,” he joked.