Trump tells Baltic leaders that U.S. is ‘very tough on Russia’

WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump made the case to the leaders of the Baltic nations Tuesday that the U.S. was “very tough on Russia,” pointing to U.S. support for increased defense spending by NATO countries as a check on Moscow’s aggression.

Trump, joined by the presidents of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, spoke a day after the White House dangled the prospect of extending a White House welcome to Russian President Vladimir Putin. The three former Soviet states border Russia and are viewed as a bulwark against Russian incursions in Eastern Europe.

“Nobody has been tougher on Russia, but getting along with Russia would be a good thing, not a bad thing. And just about everybody agrees to that except very stupid people,” Trump said in a Cabinet Room meeting with the leaders. “We’ve been very tough on Russia, frankly.”

Trump was asked by a reporter if he considered Putin to be a friend or foe. He replied, “We’ll find out. I’ll let you know.”

Trump has pressured NATO members to boost their military budgets to meet a benchmark of 2 percent of their GDP on defense annually. He cited that as a benefit to the three Baltic nations, which are NATO members and remain anxious over Russia’s increasing military maneuvers in the Baltic Sea region.

Lithuania’s Dalia Grybauskaite told Trump that the U.S. role in NATO is essential, calling the nation a “vital voice” in the military alliance.

The press conference included a brief Trump commentary on the U.S. news media. He gestured to Latvian President Raimonds Vejonis to call upon a reporter, “a Baltic reporter, ideally,” Trump said, as American journalists enthusiastically raised their hands and called his name. Trump added: “Real news, not fake news.”

Eventually, Trump bypassed the American reporters and the Latvian leader and called on a Baltic reporter himself.