TRUMP AFFIRMS U.S.-NATO TIES.
Allies dispute his claim of raised defence spending
BRUSSELS • In a chaotic 28 hours at NATO, President Donald Trump disparaged longtime allies, cast doubt on his commitment to the mutual-defence organization and sent the 29-member pact into a frenzied emergency session.
Then, at the end of the summit on Thursday, he declared the alliance a “finetuned machine” that had caved to his demands to speed up increases in military spending.
Trump said member nations had agreed to significantly boost their defence budgets and reaffirmed — after days of griping that the U.S. was being taken advantage of by its allies — that the U.S. remains faithful to the accord.
“The United States’ commitment to NATO remains very strong,” Trump told reporters at a surprise news conference following an emergency session of NATO members held to address his threats.
There were no immediate specifics on what Trump said he had achieved, and French President Emmanuel Macron quickly disputed Trump’s claim that NATO allies had agreed to boost defence spending beyond their existing goal of two per cent of gross domestic product by 2024.
“There is a communique that was published yesterday. It’s very detailed,” Macron said. “It confirms the goal of two per cent by 2024. That’s all.”
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he did agree to uphold Canada’s commitment to NATO — that Canada and other allies would “aim to move towards” a defence spending target of two per cent of GDP within a decade.
“That is something we certainly agree with,” Trudeau told a news conference.
But NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said despite Trump’s fire-and-brimstone approach, the U.S. president had an impact on the commitment by alliance members to boost their individual military spending.
Stoltenberg said Thursday that “the clear message from President Trump is having an impact.” He said allies had added US$41 billion extra for defence spending.
Trump’s message was also embraced along the alliance’s eastern flank — the region that feels most threatened by an assertive Russia.
From Poland and the tiny Baltic states down to Romania, eastern leaders welcomed Trump’s push for members of the 29-nation alliance to spend more on their militaries.
“He came, he saw, he conquered,” declared Poland’s state-run broadcaster TVP in an opinion piece. “Contrary to criticism and fears, Trump’s brutally sincere behaviour has not broken NATO’s unity but has mobilized its members to further action that strengthened the organization.”
Linas Linkevicius, the foreign minister of Lithuania, wrote on Twitter: “Strength is a choice, not a given. Once again #NATOSummit bring us closer & stronger.”
Trump had spent his time in Brussels berating members of the military alliance for failing to spend enough of their money on defence, accusing Europe of freeloading off the U.S. and raising doubts about whether he would come to members’ defence if they were attacked.
Trump said he made his anger clear to allies on Wednesday.
“Yesterday I let them know that I was extremely unhappy with what was happening,” Trump said, adding that, in response, European countries agreed to boost their spending. Trump wants NATO allies to spend four per cent of GDP on defence rather than two per cent.
“They have substantially upped their commitment and now we’re very happy and have a very, very powerful, very, very strong NATO,” he said.
During his own news conference Thursday, Trump was asked how he would increase pressure on Canada, Germany and Italy if any of the three failed to meet the two per cent target.
“Well, they will,” he responded. “I have no doubt about it. They all made commitments and they will be up to two per cent. It will be over a relatively short period of years.”
Painting a rosy portrait before he left Brussels, Trump added: “I can tell you that NATO now is a really a fine-tuned machine. People are paying money that they never paid before. They’re happy to do it. And the United States is being treated much more fairly.”
With that, Trump moved on to the United Kingdom, where significant protests against him were expected. Although Trump administration officials point to the longstanding alliance between the United States and the United Kingdom, Trump’s itinerary in England will largely keep him out of central London, the centre of the protests.
Instead, a series of events — a black-tie dinner with business leaders, a meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May and an audience with Queen Elizabeth — will happen outside the bustling city, where Mayor Sadiq Khan has been in a verbal battle with Trump.
Trump brushed off the protests, saying, “I think they like me a lot in the U.K. I think they agree with me on immigration. I’m very strong on immigration.”
I CAN TELL YOU THAT NATO NOW IS A REALLY FINE-TUNED MACHINE.