The Washington Post: Trump Chastises Fellow NATO Members

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization formed in 1949 as collective defense against potential aggression by the Soviet Union. NATO now has 28 members. US President Donald Trump, attending meetings and ceremonies in Brussels, urged fellow members to pay a fair share of NATO expenses, at least 2 percent of GDP by 2024. Other NATO members may be wary of Trump, whose presidential campaign is under investigation for possible collusion with Russia. News reports have detailed how the president shared their classified information to foreign officials. US newspapers have also received numerous leaks from government officials on multiple topics including the suicide bombing at a concert in Manchester England. “Trump’s speech was likely to disappoint leaders who had hoped for a public commitment from the U.S. president to NATO’s security guarantees, which he called into question during his presidential campaign last year when he said he would check a country’s defense spending before coming to its aid,” reports the Washington Post. “Trump’s Cabinet officials have made the direct pledge in recent months, but top officials of other NATO allies said that Trump’s personal guarantee would eliminate any lingering doubts.” European allies also disagree with Trump on his rejection of climate change as leading security threat. Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, maintains that “what gives our cooperation and friendship its deepest meaning are fundamental Western values, like freedom, human rights, respect for human dignity.” Investment in good governance, foreign development aid and alternative energies could reduce defense costs. – YaleGlobal

The Washington Post: Trump Chastises Fellow NATO Members

Trump wants NATO members to pay more for collective defense, but investments in good governance, alternative energies, foreign aid could reduce defense costs
Philip Rucker, Karen DeYoung and Michael Birnbaum
Friday, May 26, 2017

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Philip Rucker is the White House Bureau Chief for The Washington Post. He previously has covered Congress, the Obama White House, and the 2012 and 2016 presidential campaigns. He joined The Post in 2005 as a local news reporter. Karen DeYoung is associate editor and senior national security correspondent for the Washington Post. Michael Birnbaum is The Post’s Brussels bureau chief. He previously served as the bureau chief in Moscow and in Berlin, and was an education reporter.

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