Trump seen likely to support NATO's Article 5 but wants more spending

[webfact]

Trump seen likely to support NATO's Article 5 but wants more spending

By Steve Holland

 

U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump arrive aboard Air Force One ahead of the NATO Summit, at Brussels Military Airport in Melsbroek, Belgium July 10, 2018. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump will likely declare U.S. support for NATO’s mutual defence doctrine while pressing for increased spending commitments from NATO allies at a high-stakes summit in Brussels, a senior administration official said on Tuesday.

 

Trump arrived in Brussels on Tuesday night for what is shaping up to be an unpredictable day of talks on Wednesday with North Atlantic Treaty Organization leaders given his volatile attitude toward allies he believes are not contributing enough to the collective defence.

 

He spent hours on Air Force One on the flight to Brussels debating with aides how to cajole NATO allies into contributing more defence spending to the alliance, the official said.

 

Shortly before landing, Trump fired off a tweet expressing his frustration.

 

"Many countries in NATO, which we are expected to defend, are not only short of their current commitment of 2% (which is low), but are also delinquent for many years in payments that have not been made. Will they reimburse the U.S.?" he said in one tweet.

 

Under a 2014 agreement, each member state is required to boost military spending to 2 percent of its gross domestic product by 2024.

 

But NATO diplomats say only two-thirds of the 28 allies, excluding the United States, have a realistic plan to hit that level by then. The United States spent 3.57 percent of GDP on defence in 2017.

 

Still, the administration official said, Trump would likely reiterate U.S. support for the NATO treaty's Article 5, a provision that means an attack against one ally is considered an attack against all of them.

 

Trump alarmed allies during a visit to Brussels last year when he did not specifically mention U.S. backing for Article 5, but aides said later that U.S. support was assumed and did not have to be mentioned.

 

The official said Trump was going into the NATO summit looking for commitments from allies to increase their defence spending and that his reaction was dependent on “how the morning goes” in his initial meetings with NATO leaders.

 

"You can expect to hear a lot about that – other countries taking on a bigger role and doing more," the official said.

 

MEETINGS WITH MAY, PUTIN

After his meeting with NATO leaders, Trump is scheduled to visit London for talks with British Prime Minister Theresa May, days after her Cabinet was hit by two major resignations over the Brexit issue. He will then sit down next Monday in Helsinki for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who U.S. officials believe would like to exploit divisions within NATO.

 

"So I have NATO, I have the UK, which is in somewhat turmoil, and I have Putin. Frankly, Putin may be the easiest of them all. Who would think?" Trump told reporters in Washington before departing.

 

Many members of Congress, including some of Trump's fellow Republicans, have sought to reassure allies nervous about some of Trump's statements, that there is still strong support in Washington for traditional allies like the country's NATO partners.

 

U.S. Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, a Republican who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he hoped Trump avoided a repeat of his G7 summit in Quebec City, when his demands on reducing trade surpluses with the United States prompted a bitter debate with allies.

 

“I hope that the right signals are sent to NATO in advance. I hope that nothing like what happened at G7 occurs,” Corker told Reuters.

 

(Reporting by Steve Holland; Additional reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Yara Bayoumy and Peter Cooney)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-07-11

[Andaman Al]

Article 5 has been the backbone of NATO since it's inception. I would like to see Trump give his speech at NATO first and then subsequent leaders within NATO stand up and speak and call Trump out for the SOB (Presidentially used term) that he is. I would like to see other leaders point out the camaraderie that US and other NATO troops have had during the various operational conflicts in which our sons and daughters have died alongside each other. Camaraderie that Trump could not even begin to understand as a draft dodging deadbeat. It is loathsome that John Kelly supports this a** wipe. Oh, and while we are at it, when the NATO leaders stand up and speak, please tell Trump that no tariffs at all will be imposed on US goods in the future as we will all stop the import of US goods to Europe in their entirety.  

[stevenl]

Again these totally incomparable percentages thrown around.

[kamahele]

Should our allies boost their military spending? Yes. Should the President of the US publicly call them out and humiliate them while praising Putin? No. Trump is a danger to democracy and the western alliance.

[DukSiam1]

Instead of demanding the allies spend more maybe trump should reduce the USA spending on defence. Is it because the USA has more to defend around the world.?

[habanero]

2 hours ago, Andaman Al said:

Article 5 has been the backbone of NATO since it's inception. I would like to see Trump give his speech at NATO first and then subsequent leaders within NATO stand up and speak and call Trump out for the SOB (Presidentially used term) that he is. I would like to see other leaders point out the camaraderie that US and other NATO troops have had during the various operational conflicts in which our sons and daughters have died alongside each other. Camaraderie that Trump could not even begin to understand as a draft dodging deadbeat. It is loathsome that John Kelly supports this a** wipe. Oh, and while we are at it, when the NATO leaders stand up and speak, please tell Trump that no tariffs at all will be imposed on US goods in the future as we will all stop the import of US goods to Europe in their entirety.  

A draft dodger was someone who went to Canada or elsewhere to avoid military service. Not someone who had a deferment.  Also, Trump was classified 1 Y by an Army doctor at his induction physical.  When the Army did away with the 1 Y classification, he was later classified 4 F.  Trump followed all of the protocols. Calling him a draft dodger is not correct.  If that is the case, then under your definition,  Clinton and Obama were both draft dodgers. But, I don't hear you calling them that.

[PREM-R]

After the NATO summit the US President is heading to the the UK where he will be met with this........

Sort of 'Pink Floydesque'

[Tug]

To my European brothers and sisters kmaahele is spot on the sooner that Buffon is gone the better he is an a list predator in every sense of the word on every level don’t say anything that you don’t want Putin to know

[zaphod reborn]

Article 5 of the NATO mutual defense treaty has been invoked once - to attack Al Qaeda in Afghanistan following the 9/11 attack on the U.S.  While it is acceptable for Trump to use proper diplomatic channels to focus on NATO contributors who are not on track to meet their 2024 goals, attacking NATO is counterproductive and clearly at the bidding of Putin who wants to create divisiveness. 

[Andaman Al]

Well with his criticism of NATO it looks at long last that Trump has driven the Senate to work together in a truly bipartisan nature for the country at last. Believe it or not, in the age of Trump, the Senate just passed a bill rebuking President Trump with 97 votes to 3, YES that is NINETY SEVEN VOTES TO THREE. A worthwhile 16 mins of your life to spend to be shown that maybe there is hope. This is a DEMOCRAT introduced bill and agreed in the Senate 97-3, well knock me over with a feather!

 

 

[stevenl]

15 minutes ago, Andaman Al said:

Well with his criticism of NATO it looks at long last that Trump has driven the Senate to work together in a truly bipartisan nature for the country at last. Believe it or not, in the age of Trump, the Senate just passed a bill rebuking President Trump with 97 votes to 3, YES that is NINETY SEVEN VOTES TO THREE. A worthwhile 16 mins of your life to spend to be shown that maybe there is hope. This is a DEMOCRAT introduced bill and agreed in the Senate 97-3, well knock me over with a feather!

 

 

Even stronger, 97-2.

[Andaman Al]

2 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Even better, 97-2.

You are of course correct, I was overcome with excitement  Get well soon JM. It would clearly have been 98-2 under better circumstances.

[bristolboy]

4 hours ago, habanero said:

A draft dodger was someone who went to Canada or elsewhere to avoid military service. Not someone who had a deferment.  Also, Trump was classified 1 Y by an Army doctor at his induction physical.  When the Army did away with the 1 Y classification, he was later classified 4 F.  Trump followed all of the protocols. Calling him a draft dodger is not correct.  If that is the case, then under your definition,  Clinton and Obama were both draft dodgers. But, I don't hear you calling them that.

Did you find Obama's real birth certificate? Because the one he produced shows that he was born in 1961. That would make him 12 years old when the draft was abolished. Or were they drafting 12 year old boys back then?

And Bill Clinton was widely criticized for his efforts to get himself out of the draft.

And no, an army doctor did not classify him as 1 Y at his physical. He got a private doctor's note.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/02/us/politics/donald-trump-draft-record.html

 

 

[Becker]

15 minutes ago, bristolboy said:

Did you find Obama's real birth certificate? Because the one he produced shows that he was born in 1961. That would make him 12 years old when the draft was abolished. Or were they drafting 12 year old boys back then?

And Bill Clinton was widely criticized for his efforts to get himself out of the draft.

And no, an army doctor did not classify him as 1 Y at his physical. He got a private doctor's note.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/02/us/politics/donald-trump-draft-record.html

 

 

Now there you go with your silly facts. You must know by now that anyone still supporting the Swamp King has no interest in facts - whatsoever!

[bristolboy]

19 minutes ago, bristolboy said:

Did you find Obama's real birth certificate? Because the one he produced shows that he was born in 1961. That would make him 12 years old when the draft was abolished. Or were they drafting 12 year old boys back then?

And Bill Clinton was widely criticized for his efforts to get himself out of the draft.

And no, an army doctor did not classify him as 1 Y at his physical. He got a private doctor's note.

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/02/us/politics/donald-trump-draft-record.html

 

 

 

2 minutes ago, Becker said:

Now there you go with your silly facts. You must know by now that anyone still supporting the Swamp King has no interest in facts - whatsoever!

Me and my damned facts. I'm such a troll. Sauron is my Putin.

[Jonmarleesco]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

I have the UK, which is in somewhat turmoil

Wow! From the foremost expert on turmoil.

[Jingthing]

7 minutes ago, Jonmarleesco said:

Wow! From the foremost expert on turmoil.

Better known as Commander Chaos. 

Non-Americans -- keep in mind that the MAJORITY of Americans you might meet do not support this hot orange mess. 

[thaibeachlovers]

Was great to see Trump sticking it to Germany about them paying large to Russia for energy, then expecting the US to protect them from Russia, while paying too little for their own defence.

[whatsupdoc]

1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Was great to see Trump sticking it to Germany about them paying large to Russia for energy, then expecting the US to protect them from Russia, while paying too little for their own defence.

Yeah, from now on Germany should buy oil in Iran........

[alocacoc]

The Boss will rule the summit as usual. Please don't be silly and ask who is the Boss. [emoji12]

 

It will be a great show. That's for sure.

 

Sent from a so called Smartphone using an App.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[fvw53]

Nobody is "stealing" from the USA

Trump wants to ignore that the contribution paid by NATO countries does not go to a US account or to a NATO account :  it is about every member state contributing to its own defense budget...and 2% of GDP is a target to be reached by 2024.

If Trump could reduce the US defense spending from 3.6% of GDP to 2% of GDP then he would have achieved what no president before him dared ...indeed too many US industries, US shareholders and US workers are pressing for more spending in their own industrial back yard.

 

[Jingthing]

55 minutes ago, alocacoc said:

The Boss will rule the summit as usual. Please don't be silly and ask who is the Boss.

 

It will be a great show. That's for sure.

 

Sent from a so called Smartphone using an App.

 

 

 

 

 

 

He'll rule the press coverage and attention. That's not the same thing as ruling the summit. But he probably thinks that it is along with his white nationalist fans. 

[lovelomsak]

I just cannot get enough of Trump. If any one will get things in order he is the man. There appears to be nothing he will not speak out about. When he is done people will be asking them selves how could one man stand alone and do so much against such strong opposition. American's will be wishing he could serve 12 years instead of 8

[Jingthing]

4 minutes ago, lovelomsak said:

I just cannot get enough of Trump. If any one will get things in order he is the man. There appears to be nothing he will not speak out about. When he is done people will be asking them selves how could one man stand alone and do so much against such strong opposition. American's will be wishing he could serve 12 years instead of 8

How's that health care for all, cheaper and better, not attacking preexisting conditions protections, repeal and replace going? ??

But I get it, the REALITY of the massive damage he is doing is just not interesting to "trump" fans. They're all so excited by his rallies (chock full of lies). 

[bristolboy]

9 minutes ago, lovelomsak said:

I just cannot get enough of Trump. If any one will get things in order he is the man. There appears to be nothing he will not speak out about. 

And most of it in error. You have an unhealthy appetite for falsehoods.

[Opl]

"America is spending its defence dollars principally for its own security needs, as well as to support a range of interests and allies in other regions around the world, not exclusively Europe. Not all of Europe’s defence spending is dedicated to European territorial defence either. France and the UK are engaged in operations globally, and maintain a number of military bases abroad. For instance, the UK spent £666m (US$903m) on operations in 2016, while in France these costs were estimated at €1.3bn (US$1.4bn) the same year."

https://www.iiss.org/blogs/military-balance/2018/07/us-and-nato-allies-costs-and-value

 

[pegman]

9 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Better known as Commander Chaos. 

Non-Americans -- keep in mind that the MAJORITY of Americans you might meet do not support this hot orange mess. 

 

9 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Better known as Commander Chaos. 

Non-Americans -- keep in mind that the MAJORITY of Americans you might meet do not support this hot orange mess. 

Not if your meeting them in Pattaya. I know lots of Americans there and all save one love their Trump. The one Trump hater now winters in BKK because of the hard time he got from the Trumptards.

[Grouse]

19 hours ago, Andaman Al said:

Well with his criticism of NATO it looks at long last that Trump has driven the Senate to work together in a truly bipartisan nature for the country at last. Believe it or not, in the age of Trump, the Senate just passed a bill rebuking President Trump with 97 votes to 3, YES that is NINETY SEVEN VOTES TO THREE. A worthwhile 16 mins of your life to spend to be shown that maybe there is hope. This is a DEMOCRAT introduced bill and agreed in the Senate 97-3, well knock me over with a feather!

 

 

That's a great post. I find it very reassuring that The Senate is still capable of expressing the views of the America I know and still love. Great stuff!

[bristolboy]

5 minutes ago, Grouse said:

That's a great post. I find it very reassuring that The Senate is still capable of expressing the views of the America I know and still love. Great stuff!

Even more amazing is this:

House passes resolution in support of NATO by unanimous voice vote

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/396536-house-passes-resolution-in-support-of-nato-by-unanimous-voice-vote

[Scott]

Off-topic post and replies removed.