US President Donald Trump thanked countries that are members of NATO on Wednesday for their support after intervention in Syria, saying that the military alliance, contrary to his earlier claims, is not obsolete, agencies report.
At a joint press conference after meeting with Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg, Trump noted that the Member States still need to equally participate in the financing of the European "safety net."
"I said it was out of date. Well, it is no longer out of date," said Trump. He added that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is starting to adjust to the wider missions of fighting against Islamic militants, according to Reuters.
The US president thanked NATO members that supported its decision to attack the Syrian air base in response to the earlier chemical attack on civilians and said it was time to end the war in Syria.
A constructive meeting
Stoltenberg said his meeting with Trump in the Oval Office was "excellent and productive". He thanked Trump as he urged the Member States to increase military spending, saying that the effects of Donald Trump's firm stand on the issue can already be seen.
"The message from President Trump has been very helpful," said Stoltenberg. Last year, five NATO members met the organization's goal when 2 percent of their GDP was spent on defense, but this year eight members are expected to meet the threshold.
"We see that things are moving in the right direction," Stoltenberg said. He added that since he is the head of NATO, his priority is the fair division of the costs of defense between The Member States. "We are working to maintain this trend," said Stoltenberg, the DPA agency reports.
Trump met with Stoltenberg for the first time on Wednesday at the White House in preparation for the NATO summit in Brussels next month.
The attitude towards China has also changed
US President said yesterday that his administration, contrary to what was announced in the election campaign, will not declare that China ''manipulates the currency", but admitted that the US dollar "is becoming too strong", which will have a negative impact on the economy.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Trump also said that he would like to keep US interest rates at low levels.
"China does not manipulate its currency," said Trump. His statement is contrary to the pre-election promise where he said he will declare China's currency as a manipulating. That measure was supposed to be the first move of his administration as part of the planned reduction in Chinese imports in the United States.
A spokesman for the US Department of Finance confirmed that the half-year report will not designate China as a currency manipulator. Ministry's report on currency practices of leading trading partners will be announced later this week
The Wall Street Journal reports that the main reason for Trump's changed attitude is the fact that China is not manipulating yuan for months now. The other reason is an assumption that such step would at this point question Trump's talks with Beijing on dealing with the North Korean threat.
