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Just a day earlier, it seemed that Trump would have pushed May on a much steeper metaphorical rim.
But at the press conference, less than 24 hours Trump has bothered to plebiscite May on several occasions and has termed the relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom as "highest level of special". On Brexit, he said, "All you do is OK with me."
A few days earlier in Brussels, Trump offered surprisingly harsh criticism to one of the closest American allies – blaming Germany to be "a captive of Russia" – before insisting hours later that he has "a very, very good relationship with the (German Chancellor Angela Merkel)" and "a terrific relationship ave "Germany."
The truth revealed itself in the stiff body language between the two rulers, who did not shake hands with the cameras and who seemed to be miles away from each other. 39, while they were sitting close to each other. came during his solemn press conference at the end of the NATO summit that sent reporters rushing to enter the room and wonder if Trump would announce that the United States were leaving NATO after reports suggesting that he had threatened to do so sooner.
Instead, Trump took his lectern into the dark room to proclaim that all NATO allies had "agreed to engage substantially" in defense spending "at levels at which they never thought of it before. " Despite his insulting and critical comments about the US's close allies during the summit and his private threats, Trump insisted that the alliance was "very unified, very strong."
"No problem, no?" Trump said.
But none of these claims happened past the rally. As French President Emmanuel Macron, who maintains one of the most awesome personal relationships with Trump from any world leader, said shortly after Trump's press conference, the allies of the world's top flight, the world's top airline NATO committed to 2024.
"The release is clear," said Macron. "It reaffirms a commitment to 2% by 2024. That's all."
Duel Narratives
As to the unity of the alliance, the words and images that Trump exposed to the world signaled something else that lawmakers united with Washington and American allies had hoped that the United States and NATO After his harsh criticism of Germany, he and Merkel – leaders of the largest economies of the alliance – could not have been further away than NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who led the Trump summit. group of world leaders through the cavernous lobby of the alliance headquarters. Merkel found herself at the front, while Trump trailed behind.
Then, the late arrival of Trump for the second day of NATO only heightened the feeling of unease that persisted in the building after its first day. Just as he had done when he attended the G7 summit in Quebec last month, Trump arrived with about 30 minutes late for a working session with his counterparts, crossing the entrance hall with cameras capable of capturing his arrival.
But what version of reality does Trump project when he meets Putin in Helsinki?
Allies from the United States and NATO engage in Brussels and deterrence capabilities as a bulwark against Putin – a remarkable achievement. NATO allies also increased defense spending by $ 33 billion last year, which led Trump to ask on Friday: "Do you think Putin is happy?"
But that's Trump's version of reality. meeting with Putin.
"Eyes Wide Open"
The United States Ambbadador to Russia, Jon Huntsman, has already stated that Trump will have to "go out and look wide" when he meets Putin and will "make sober evaluation of the root causes of our problems ".
"So what are the underlying causes of past crises?" Huntsman told reporters last week. "The dialogue on the real state of the relationship is what is needed."
Trump's badessment of the impediments to improving US-Russian relations may not correspond to that of the US government
"We have a political problem." In the United States, we have this stupidity at stake. Pure stupidity, "said Trump in an obvious reference to the Special Advisor's investigation stemming from Russian interference in the 2016 elections and the surrounding partisanship. "It makes it very difficult to do anything with Russia: whatever you do, you always have to say," Oh, Russia, he loves Russia. "
Trump and Putin showed chummy chemistry in their first Putin 's meetings and approach to Trump could be key to the outcome of the summit.
The American president has repeatedly shown that flattery, praise and a welcoming atmosphere are the fastest ways to his heart. His comments on May came as he was preparing to go to London, where protests and criticism from the mayor of London were awaiting his arrival.
But after May unrolled the red carpet and many of the attributes of an official state visit – even though it was not one – and offered complimentary remarks about Trump and the relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom at a gala dinner in his honor, the president seemed to change his tone. A source familiar with the discussions told CNN's Michelle Kosinski that Trump's "bright eyes" during the May speech said the two "never got better together".
The next morning, after his comments broke, Trump did the unthinkable and offered an apology to May.
But Merkel – who is known for her terribly telling poker face – is still waiting.
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