US President Donald Trump will meet European leaders today in Brussels. Trump is expected to face Tough stance when EU and NATO leaders will pressure him on his controversial policies on defense, trade and environmental issues. The President was warmly welcomed in the Middle East and the Vatican when visited the Pope.
Trump's mixed reception
The American President has received rosy receptions throughout his first official foreign trip since becoming president in Riyadh and Jerusalem. He was praised by the leaders of those countries for his tough stance on Iran, but analysts believes the he may rather be scolded in Brussels by European leaders.
President Trump has repeatedly queried the relevance of NATO military alliance during his presidential campaign, and promised to pull the United States from the Paris climate change pact. This has raised concerns among European nations. The European Union was among the parties in the agreement that limit Iran’s nuclear program, which Trump has vehemently opposed.
The NATO's commitment
He’s expected to affirm NATO’s founding rule which stipulate that an attack against one of its allied member is an attack against all, according to statement by a senior European diplomat at the NATO headquarters. Trump is also expected to meet with Jean-Claude Juncker Europe’s chief executive and Donald Tusk European Council President, who will chair the EU summit, during the morning session.
Highlights of the visit
President Trump will also unveil a memorial to the September, 11, 2001 New York and Washington bombing at the NATO new headquarters building. Trump will embark on his only public planned public briefing before going into dinner with NATO leaders; he is expected to fully pledge his support and commitment to the Nations of Atlantic Treaty Organization, he previously described as obsolete, since, according to him, it was not doing enough to win the war on terrorism.
However, NATO hopes that Trump will be impressed with its military bands, and allied jets that are to fly overhead and the walk through the glass and steal headquarters it would display. Rex Tillerson US Secretary of States said that President Trump would pressure NATO leaders to rather spend more of its budget on defense and be relieved of more of the burdens of paying for the alliance. Trump has repeated this call while in his campaign and at the White House. Tillerson had told reporters that Trump would want NATO to join forces against the war on ISIS.
