'Cool it,' France and Germany to tell Trump at NATO talks

By Robin Emmott

 

U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with France's President Emmanuel Macron, ahead of the NATO summit in Watford, in London, Britain, December 3, 2019. Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS

 

WATFORD, England (Reuters) - NATO leaders will tell U.S President Donald Trump on Wednesday they are spending billions more dollars on their militaries in the hope that he pares back his attacks on the Western alliance.

 

In formal talks following a Buckingham Palace reception on Tuesday to celebrate 70 years of NATO, European leaders led by Germany and France aim to tell Trump they will not be treated as junior partners as they confront global conflicts.

 

Despite Trump's accusations on Tuesday that allies were "delinquent" in their failure to spend as much as the United States on their armed forces, Europe, Turkey and Canada will use the gathering at a luxury golf club north of London to argue they will spend $400 billion (£312 billion) collectively on defence by 2024.

 

"If we invest money and risk our soldiers' lives... we should be clear on NATO's fundamentals," French President Emmanuel Macron said on Twitter, adding that on Wednesday he would "defend the interests of France and Europe."

 

That is likely to include a push to broaden NATO politically to consider a bigger role for the alliance in the Middle East and possibly Africa, although Berlin and Paris must first seek NATO support for a "wise persons" group to draw up reform plans.

 

In a final communique, NATO allies will recommit to their pledge to defend each other, while Britain is also expected to put six warships, two fighter squadrons and thousands of troops at NATO's disposal to meet a U.S. demand for European armies to be more combat-ready.

 

NATO will also warn China for the first time that it is monitoring Beijing's growing military might, agreeing to gradually prepare the alliance to defend against any possible future hostilities, in arenas ranging from the Arctic to computer networks.

 

But the debate is unlikely to be easy.

 

Tuesday's gathering in London was marked by testy exchanges between Trump and Macron over the future of transatlantic ties, while the U.S. leader reiterated his criticism of Germany for not spending enough on defence, seemingly unaware of Berlin's new defence plans to reach a NATO spending target by 2031.

 

"I'm a politician, and I'm used to being criticised for good rhetoric but bad substance. In the case of NATO it is the opposite. We have had bad rhetoric but extremely good substance," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told diplomats and experts at an event in London on Tuesday.

 

Macron also accused Turkey of working with Islamic State proxies in Syria, although Canada's leader played down tensions.

 

"NATO has survived because we've always had frank conversations," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.

 

(Reporting by Robin Emmott, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-12-04

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Don’t worry nato trump is a temp!

14 minutes ago, Tug said:

Don’t worry nato trump is a temp!

I for one would not say he's a temp.

Some say he's favourite to win a second term in 2020.

 

They also said Hilary was gonna beat him in 2016. And Britain was gonna vote to stay in the EU.

the whole trick is to choreograph an elaborate ruse in which Trump will believe he forced the allies to submit to his will and won.

Trump's body language says it all

And this clown has the audacity to lecture Macron about insulting NATO? Really? He calls him nasty. 

 

Amusing how so many of the descriptions and insults Trump uses on others, are absolutely correct and appropriate terms for himself. 

 

One wonders if there will ever be an occasion when this under developed, adolescent mind will find it within himself to behave appropriately. 

39 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

And this clown has the audacity to lecture Macron about insulting NATO? Really? He calls him nasty. 

 

Amusing how so many of the descriptions and insults Trump uses on others, are absolutely correct and appropriate terms for himself. 

 

One wonders if there will ever be an occasion when this under developed, adolescent mind will find it within himself to behave appropriately. 

I have never heard a country leader use such name calling, and insults before he roosted in the WH. No wonder the world has respect for Vladimir Putin who never lowers his self esteem to playground language.

21 minutes ago, legend49 said:

I have never heard a country leader use such name calling, and insults before he roosted in the WH. No wonder the world has respect for Vladimir Putin who never lowers his self esteem to playground language.

 

You think "the world" has resepect for Putin?? Really?? You need to get out more.

26 minutes ago, legend49 said:

I have never heard a country leader use such name calling, and insults before he roosted in the WH. No wonder the world has respect for Vladimir Putin who never lowers his self esteem to playground language.

True. To think that Trump actually makes Putin look elegant and statesman like. 

 

The name calling is so inane. So churlish. So hateful. So foolish and ignorant, and so strange and pathological. It appears he is an incredible unhappy and unfulfilled guy, with the thinnest skin of any world leader in recent memory. What does that say about the man?

2 hours ago, sweatalot said:

Trump's body language says it all

looks constipated to me

Who writes this rubbish? Well I suppose when you send your troops embarrassingly to a NATO exercise using broom handels as rifles and all your fighter jets are grounded due to no parts I suppose that in some eyes is cooling it. When are people in Europe going to wake up and see the EU military as nothing more than internal bullying power to quell anyone else who thinks about leaving. Trump rightly holds all the power with NATO like it or not as USA pays in the most. 

2 minutes ago, Scot123 said:

Who writes this rubbish? Well I suppose when you send your troops embarrassingly to a NATO exercise using broom handels as rifles and all your fighter jets are grounded due to no parts I suppose that in some eyes is cooling it. When are people in Europe going to wake up and see the EU military as nothing more than internal bullying power to quell anyone else who thinks about leaving. Trump rightly holds all the power with NATO like it or not as USA pays in the most. 

trump should  help the UK fight the EU armies that are preventing them from leaving

8 hours ago, yogi100 said:

I for one would not say he's a temp.

Some say he's favourite to win a second term in 2020.

 

They also said Hilary was gonna beat him in 2016. And Britain was gonna vote to stay in the EU.

Any US president is a temp.

28 minutes ago, Sujo said:

Any US president is a temp.

I think in this type of discussion where we refer to a POTUS being a 'temp' most people would conclude that it means only serving one term in office. 

1 hour ago, klauskunkel said:

looks constipated to me

You mean the way his body postured like the leaning tower. The clue is in the photo of him wearing his tennis shorts. 

10 hours ago, webfact said:

NATO will also warn China for the first time that it is monitoring Beijing's growing military might, agreeing to gradually prepare the alliance to defend against any possible future hostilities, in arenas ranging from the Arctic to computer networks.

 

But the debate is unlikely to be easy.

 

Tuesday's gathering in London was marked by testy exchanges between Trump and Macron over the future of transatlantic ties, while the U.S. leader reiterated his criticism of Germany for not spending enough on defence, seemingly unaware of Berlin's new defence plans to reach a NATO spending target by 2031

Are these people (or non-people) serious. 2031 is 12 years away. And what has Chine to do with NATO, there are no common borders.

The nato members are now it appears laughing at trump good but dangerous because he’s a bit psychotic imo he is narcissistic enough to do something stupid (on purpose)to assuage some real or imagined slight

Not China. Not Russia but, America is the biggest threat to world peace!!!

 

Despite Trump being a polarizing figure for many, he is right that NATO needs some reorganizing and reform. The US spends a lot on making sure security flies effectively and it's beef that the rest don't pull their weight is true ... many can't even be arsed to spend the 2% despite the worsening global security situation. I am not a fan of his style on this (bit too brash and unrefined) but he is essentially right to give them a hard time on this one at least.

5 hours ago, sweatalot said:

Trump's body language says it all

s does your board name.

5 hours ago, legend49 said:

I have never heard a country leader use such name calling, and insults before he roosted in the WH. No wonder the world has respect for Vladimir Putin who never lowers his self esteem to playground language.

Putin can't speak enough English to express himself in what we might recognise as playground language.

25 minutes ago, yogi100 said:

Putin can't speak enough English to express himself in what we might recognise as playground language.

Yet Poetin has managed to bring chaos to NATO and to US politics, and does whatever pleases him in the Crimea and Middle East.

 

5 hours ago, Expat Brad said:

Not China. Not Russia but, America is the biggest threat to world peace!!!

 

That's why Russia and China are developing hypersonic weapons. That's why China is claiming most of the south East Asian Seas,

9 hours ago, Tug said:

The nato members are now it appears laughing at trump good but dangerous because he’s a bit psychotic imo he is narcissistic enough to do something stupid (on purpose)to assuage some real or imagined slight

You are right. However, it's probably not new. It's just that this time, they have been caught.

10 hours ago, GreasyFingers said:

And what has Chine to do with NATO, there are no common borders.

 

They had no common borders with Japan back in 1941, either.

 

3 hours ago, impulse said:

 

They had no common borders with Japan back in 1941, either.

 

My history books tell me it was Japan that invaded China before that. Are they wrong.

Trump's idea is that NATO will spend $400 billion collectively on defence by 2024. Against who does NATO have to be defensive?

It might be noteworthy, that Trumps "United States of Aggression" has increased the "defense" budget from USD 600 billion to USD 723 billion this year. 

Four questions remain:

• what is the name of the aggressor attacking the USA at its own borders giving the USA a reason to "defend"? 
• who is the beneficiary of all those spendings on war toys for the testosterone loaded boys in their little Micky Mice uniforms saluting each other? 
• why did the USA not learn anything from the consequences of a total failure of foreign policy since Persia in 1950? 
• why is nobody stopping these crazy warmongers? 

 

6 minutes ago, Sydebolle said:

why is nobody stopping these crazy warmongers? 

They have the weapons, you know..

Trump cancels a press conference and leaves Nato meeting after hearing Canadian PM Trudeau mocking him.  Poor baby!

An inflammatory troll post has been removed.