NATO leaders converged on Thursday in #Brussels amid anxiety fuelled by President Trump’s earlier outburst that dismissed the alliance as “obsolete."
According to the New York Times, Mr. Trump earlier met with Donald Tusk, the European Council President, and Jean-Claude Junker, the European Commission President. Mr. Tusk was of the opinion that they were on the same page when it came to Ukraine, with the only difference of opinion being over Russia.
Meeting in Brussels
Shortly after the meeting at the European headquarters, Mr. Tusk stated that: “Some issues remained open, like climate and trade.” He added on that, “And I am not 100 percent sure that we can say today — ‘we’ means Mr.
President and myself — that we have a common position, common opinion, about Russia.”
Shortly before the arrival of Mr. Trump and Mr. Tusk, there was silence in the room. The American and European delegations were not talking to each other; instead, they assembled in groups on opposite sides. During the meeting, Mr. Trump showered Mr. Macron, the French President, with accolades for his recent election victory. He said, “Mr. Macron had a tremendous victory, all over the world they are talking about it.”
NATO leaders expressed anxiety over the endorsement of Article 5. They seemed to be wary of Trump going off script on the question of article 5 with regard to the Atlantic alliance’s treaty, which states that an attack of either of its members signifies an attack on all.
But in his speech, Mr. Trump did not raise any issues contradicting article 5. Mr. Trump was so cautious that he didn’t say anything critical about Russia, and chose to avoid the Russian issue.
However, Mr. Trump remained vocal in pressing NATO allies to pay their fair share for the alliance’s running costs. He strongly criticized other leaders for not contributing 2 percent of their gross domestic product to their defense.
Mr. Trump and Mr. Macron’s handshake was so unique that it raised eyebrows. The two Presidents grabbed each other’s hands in what began as a formal greeting and ended as a friendlier gesture. Their faces kept alternating between smiles and frowns. At one instance, Trump tried to pull away, but the 39-year old French President gripped his hand even harder.
NATO’s commitment to counter terrorism
According to the New York Times, NATO will formally join the coalition to fight against ISIS, as was pronounced by the Atlantic alliance’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg.
