© REUTERS / Jonathan Ernst
DW: Donald Trump calls out Germany, EU allies on NATO defense spending ahead of summit
Belgium's prime minister was "unimpressed" after receiving a letter from Trump about sticking to NATO pledges. With less than two weeks until the alliance summit in Brussels, Trump also said Germany needs to up spending.
US President Donald Trump sent letters to eight NATO members cautioning them about not meeting their spending commitments, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel said on Friday.
"I am not very impressed by this type of letter," Michel told reporters on the sidelines of an EU summit in Brussels.
"Belgium has halted the systematic fall in defense spending and takes part in a lot of military operations," he added.
Germany, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Luxembourg, Norway and the Netherlands also received individual letters that were personally signed by the US leader, a diplomatic source told the AFP news agency.
Trump took aim at Berlin and other European allies over NATO spending in comments to reporters on Friday.
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WNU Editor: These EU leaders are not going to listen to Presdient Trump. Instead they are warning via through their media allies that President Trump wants to break-up NATO ....Is Trump Out To Dismantle NATO? By Tom Ricks (Task & Purpose). Personally .... I am not impressed by this scare-mongering. Instead of facing up to their own failure to meet promised commitments to NATO, what I see is an attempt to shift the focus on what President Trump may do, while making the same vague promises that they have been making for the past two years .... EU to deepen military readiness, raise spending, leaders say (Reuters).
More News On President Trump Sending Warning Letters To Eight E.U. Leaders Ahead Of NATO Summit
Trump, ahead of NATO summit, repeats complaints on Germany, other Europeans -- Reuters
Trump’s letters to allies mean the NATO Summit could be in trouble before it begins -- Defense News
'Unimpressed': Trump Sends EU Leaders Warning Letters Ahead of NATO Summit -- Sputnik
10 comments:
Must not be impressed by NATO then. Defend yourselves. #AmericaFirst
Bombast Dothan not make the for allied friends
Europe’s immigration policy is doing just fine on its own in tearing Europe apart.... absolutely no need for help from President Trump.
Should they not have an immigration policy? Should America? I can not speak for you but my grandparents immigrated here. And yes, legally. And so too legal Americans have always encouraged illegals for their cheap labor...no hire no have. You do not sneak into a country for work when you know you are not likely to be hired.
thus: economic migrants; political migrants; soon climate migrants...and yes, the last group will be Americans moving to various locations as climate wallops places
If Europe were to disallow ALL refugees, what will happen to those unable to flee?
That said, the real topic is the NATO gathering. Tip: do not badmouth, send threats, etc beforehand. That is not negotiations and deals are made, unless you work for organized crime group
Overpopulation ol Freddy.... it’s either us or them..... unfortunately we are in the times when this decision must be made. Eat or be eaten.
Merkel and others are part of the #Resistance against Trump since 2016. They will twist his demands for meeting commitments as America first. Times up. Games up.
That Putin summit could be a game changer for the EU. The USA has big fish to fry and no time for defense welfare queens in Europe.
"That Putin summit could be a game changer for the EU. The USA has big fish to fry and no time for defense wellfare queens in Europe." While I wouldn't use the term "game" to describe any of this, you are essentially spot on. I essentially recognized the problem with these people about 25 years ago.
It is gratifying to see that some are finally catching on. Perhaps EU nations will change their behavior and take more reasonable positions with regards to agreements with us. At present, this relationship seems to me more like a parasitic one with these natiins draining us dry.
Reasonable people can and likely will disagree on just how much America needs to contribute, how much EU nations contribute, what America's role should be, etc. In my considered opinion, the positions taken by the EU nations is nowhere close to reasonable. As such, the actions taken by POTUS, if anything, should be even firmer toward these people.
"America first," the traditional position of any country is to put their interests first. At the very least, one should not sacrifice their just interests to service those who hold them in utter contempt. One should hardly expect America to behave any differently.
As to this "summit," it may not yield any concrete results. I'm pleased it is happening or so it seems to be but we need to be very cautious.
Simply put, if you made commitments then you should do your part. If they can't then we have no choice but to call them out, it's simply business. MAGA!!
Fred you're becoming so dogmatic... it's getting frustrating as you more and more seem to be stuck in the way of the left
I agree - and I'm from Germany. I can't stand this lack of understanding that a safe world is based on strength and supporting your partners and honoring commitments. Ashamed of our continued failure to meet the agreed commitment. Yes, we need schools, and yes we need healthcare, but we also need a strong military and help our allies. With a 4 trillion dollar economy it shouldn't be that hard. If we can't meet those goals let's start reduce spending on some bloated projects or renegotiate our commitment in good faith without political double talk and ad hominem attacks
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