Trump gives an ultimatum to NATO «DiePresse.com



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US President Donald Trump addressed diplomats an ultimatum to NATO partners by next year. If countries did not increase their defense spending to the desired target of two percent of economic power by January 2019, the United States would launch a solo effort, confessed two people Thursday [19659002]. President Donald Trump in principle known as the Transatlantic Alliance. The United States is attached to the Alliance, Trump said at the conclusion of the NATO summit in Brussels on Thursday.

He had made it clear to the partners that he had been very unhappy. After all, the other Member States are committed to increasing defense spending beyond the goal of 2% of economic output. NATO is now stronger than it was two days ago.

Meanwhile, there had been reports that Trump had threatened to withdraw the United States from the Alliance. This was later denied by, among others, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite. Nevertheless, Trump said in his final press conference that he was expecting him to leave NATO without congressional approval. This was not necessary. At the same time, the US president has somewhat invalidated his earlier criticisms of Germany. He has great respect for Germany, said Trump, but reiterated his demand that the Berlin government should invest more money in the defense budget.

"Angela, you must change that"

Trump demanded that all states of NATO quickest to implement the commitment to devote two percent of their economic performance to the defense said Grybauskaite. Until now, it is expected that Member States will increase their share to reach nearly 2% of economic output by 2024. Trump said that if this goal is achieved, the proportion must reach 4% . German Chancellor Merkel stressed that Germany knew that she should do more for the defense. But it is also the responsibility of the federal government. "The recovery has begun a long time ago."

Trump had set off a crisis meeting of heads of state and government at the NATO summit in Brussels. About the exact wording of Trump, there was different information. "The language was much clearer today," an insider said Thursday. "He chose several countries, but especially Germany." During the working session, where politicians really wanted to discuss the situation of Ukraine, Trump expressed himself and reiterated the topic of waste. "Angela, you have to change that," he says. In addition, he had addressed directly to Spain and Belgium

Trump challenged Ender military exercises in the Baltic States

In addition, the US president commented on Monday his first official meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. He wants to have his Russian counterpart as a "friend". The meeting with the Kremlin boss "could be the easiest of all my European tour". He said he could talk to Putin about the end of the US military exercises to protect NATO partners in the Baltic states, he acknowledged.

He did not want to decide whether the United States would recognize the Russian annexation of Crimea. He could not say what would happen to Crimea, Trump replied. The annexation of the Black Sea Peninsula in 2014 was held under the chairmanship of his predecessor Barack Obama. He would not have allowed that, and he was "not happy" about it, Trump said. "What is happening from then on, I can not say," he added

(APA / Reuters / Sabine Siebold and Peter Maushagen)

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