London
US President Donald Trump launched a two-day NATO meeting Tuesday with a blistering attack on France’s criticism of the alliance and on “delinquent” members that do not pay their way.
At a news conference held to celebrate NATO’s success in cajoling European allies to boost their defence spending, Trump lashed out at French President Emmanuel Macron.
Macron had tried to shake up the agenda for the London summit by branding the 70-year-old Western alliance “brain dead”, but Trump slapped him down and warned he could see France “breaking away” from NATO.
“NATO serves a great purpose,” Trump told reporters alongside alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. “I think that’s very insulting,” he said of Macron’s comment, branding it a “very, very nasty statement essentially to 28 countries.
“Nobody needs NATO more than France,” he said. “It’s a very dangerous statement for them to make.” Asked whether the US alliance with NATO was shaky, Trump denied it, but said: “I do see France breaking off.”
Stoltenberg renewed his own criticism of the French leader’s remarks, saying allies “should never question the unity and the political willingness to stand together and to defend each other”. Trump defended Stoltenberg, boasting that NATO members have massively increased their defence spending thanks to his pressure.
