Nato looks set to be Trumped by angry president

THE DONALD couldn’t have a better surname, I reckon. Whilst his language and antics owe more to reality TV than his current job as leader of the free world, he doesn’t half shake things up! But, although he’s constantly sniped and slated, it’ll be hard for his critics to continue if he nails peace with North Korea.

And next, it looks as though Nato’s about to be Trumped. In a couple of weeks’ time, the 29 member states will gather in Brussels for what usually amounts to a polished show of muscular unity complemented by announcements of military/ diplomatic progress.

But Donald Trump has already called the Alliance ‘obsolete’ and, as a further curtain-raiser, tweeted: “The US pays close to the entire cost of Nato – protecting many of these same countries that rip us off on trade (they pay only a fraction of the cost – and laugh).”

Now, when you consider that at the last summit he omitted any mention of Nato’s Article V mutual defence pledge and poured scorn on European members for their flaccid military spending, the portents are not good.

And, of course, this comes hard on the heels of the G7 meeting in Quebec where Mr Trump ignited a row that will run and run due to US tariffs being imposed on imported metals. Then, at the same meeting, a highly significant thing happened – the president called for Russia to be readmitted to the group to make it the G8 once more.

But, rapprochement with Russia is a hard bone for Nato to gnaw, for the Alliance owes its very existence to Soviet post-war expansionism.

But things have changed – Nato’s now being overseen and underwritten by a White House which perceives a very real difference between Soviet Russia and the Russia of today.

From a distance, it looks as though Nato is keen to cling to its

perhaps that’s why Mr Trump calls it obsolete.

There’s an important nexus in presidential thinking here. The media never presented it like this, but in late 2013 there was a coup in Kiev and US/EU agencies used the chaos to drive the democratically elected president out of Ukraine.

Then, new oligarchs were parachuted in by the West to become the president and the prime minister without even a pretence of an election.

Trump roundly blames his predecessor Barack Obama for permitting this, for provoking the situation in Crimea and the ensuing conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

Now, there may be dark and murky connections between Team Trump and the Kremlin. But, if we put that aside for a moment and hope that the president has the more noble ambition of peaceful coexistence with Russia, it’s easier to understand why he can be tetchy with Nato. In his eyes, not only have the Europeans twisted Vladmir Putin’s tail, but America is picking up the bill to protect them from the man they’ve upset.

But it’s easy to understand why Nato’s also twitchy. Suddenly, its guardian paymaster has gone rogue, ignoring views on Iran and the Middle East, relationships with the UN and climate change.

Meanwhile, secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg is trying to impose the mantra of the ‘three Cs’ – cash, capabilities and commitments – to demonstrate how member states contribute above the strapline of two per cent of their gross domestic products.

Yet, no matter how hard Herr Stoltenberg tries to come the statesman, Mr Trump ripostes with the dual instincts of a poker player and chat show host, talking coins not concepts, tweeting incessantly and seizing headlines whilst outflanking the secretary-general . The mandarin has met the magnate.

Meanwhile, there’s another strand to all this. Emmanuel Macron has his own agenda and is theorising about European ‘strategic autonomy’, in other words the ability to conduct operations and build weapons independently from US forces and technology.

Watching the embattled Angela Merkel squirm on the hook of this idea is awful. Germany is affluent but won’t spend a pfennig more than she needs to on defence. Meanwhile, she sits perilously close to Russia, she’s central to the Ukrainian crisis, holds Macron’s hand on autonomy and yet is militarily and diplomatically squeamish.

Wealthy Germany’s attitude must sicken yet please Trump. Any idea that Merkel and her pals want to step out from under the costly military umbrella that the US has been providing since 1945 must delight him. Similarly, the ringing of US cash registers is just what Rust Belt voters want to hear.

There’s going to be a rumble in Brussels next month. Mr Trump may have to listen to France and Germany talking big but spending little whilst the other Allies will quake at the very idea of the US umbrella being taken away: Nato doesn’t need any more showers.