Pres. Trump departs for London on Monday to attend NATO leaders meeting that is designed to showcase continued strength of alliance 70 years after its establishment.
President Donald Trump departs for London on Monday to attend a NATO leaders meeting that is designed to showcase the continued strength of the alliance 70 years after its establishment. But the gathering will also put the political strains within the alliance on public display.
Just last week, it was announced that the U.S. is reducing its contribution toward NATO's operational budget from 22% to 16%. A NATO official portrayed the move as a demonstration of the allies' commitment to the alliance rather than a sign of decreased U.S. commitment. But while the administration contends the president has only made NATO stronger, Macron made headlines last month with his warning of a"brain death" within NATO because of reduced U.S. reliability within the structure of the alliance.
Heather Conley, the director of the Europe Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said it seems as if Trump and Macron are"trying to out-disrupt the other." "They have a great deal of respect for each other," said a senior administration official."They have different priorities for the alliance. The president wants to make it stronger and the burden sharing more equitable. I think President Macron is still kind of working out what he wants out of the group. But I think they have a healthy level of respect for each other. That will come out in their bilateral conversation.
In addition to its actions in Syria, Turkey's increasingly close ties with Russia and its purchase of a Russian missile defense system remains a source of widespread concern within the alliance. A senior administration official said the U.S. has already been"blunt" with Turkey on the issue of the Russian S-400s, but so far the administration has stopped short of sanctioning Turkey over acquiring the Russian equipment, despite legislation that mandates the administration to do so.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
NATO spending tweak lets Berlin push back on TrumpGermany can now tell President Trump that it pays as much as Washington for NATO operations
Read more »
Trump, White House accuse Nadler of 'purposely' scheduling Judiciary impeachment hearing to coincide with NATO meetingTrump on Sunday accused Democrats of 'undercutting our Country' by scheduling the 'most ridiculous' hearing 'on [the] same dates as NATO.'
Read more »
Trump asked to avoid UK election talk as he attends NATO summit in LondonTrump has shown no restraint in showing support for Britain’s exit from the European Union and critiquing the politicians involved in the country’s long-running Brexit debate.
Read more »
Russia is now not the only pressing issue that NATO has to deal withHeads of state and government are meeting in the U.K. this week for the 70th anniversary of the military alliance NATO.
Read more »
Impeachment Fight at Home Hangs Over Trump’s NATO TripThe president, who as a candidate labeled the alliance obsolete, has upended past gatherings with his complaints that members must spend more on defense. But his White House has struck a more conciliatory tone ahead of the meeting to mark NATO’s 70th anniversary.
Read more »