Trump forces and threatens to force "success" at NATO's summit

With his brutal blow to Germany that "invests too little in defense," US President Donald Trump immediately shrugged off the NATO summit on Wednesday.

Did this end a failure? "An aggressive coup de send," says a committed diplomat. Trump spent the rest of the day, according to NATO sources. Trump sent another tweet every night. But the message repeated – "What do we have in NATO when Germany pays billions of gas to Russia?" – impressed the leaders of the 28 other NATO countries. French President Macron took a relaxed terrace in the center of Brussels before falling asleep.

But Thursday morning, on the second day of the summit, Trump again caused great trouble. Out of the room where the leaders are sitting at the table, the first rumors about a new rage of Trump. " Shit hits the fan! " says a diplomat. Trump made it clear that he did not want to close the summit without firm commitments as each country adheres to the 2 percent NATO standard: each ally would be at least 2 percent of the gross mass of the country. # 39; NATO. domestic product to be spent on defense. The United States is well above 3 percent. Most allies, including the Netherlands, are well below 2.

At a previous summit in Wales in 2014, NATO nations agreed to "target 2% in 2024". But Trump is no longer satisfied with the promises. He wants to decide, and likes quickly. Behind closed doors, Trump would even have a deadline: January 1, 2019, reported several news agencies. Trump would have even threatened leaders that the US would do better to start their own defense path. Read: Out of NATO

See also: Trump Presses: No Plans But Decisions

Trump Remains a "Stable Genius"

An hour later, the seedlight s 39 extinguished in the crowded press room and appears a relaxed asset in the spotlight. Has he threatened to go his own way outside of NATO? He asks immediately.

"I could indeed threaten it," says Trump. "But it's not necessary, because the others will spend more and they will do it much faster." He does not mention the deadline of January 1, 2019. "But do you expect this to happen? produce in a short period of a few years. "Of course, Trump adds, he understands that government leaders still need" approval in their parliaments at home. "

," says Trump, "but ends in the best mood possible. "With humor, he paraphrases the question of whether he'll send tweets at right angles to the Air Force One, as after the last G7 summit. Trump: "I am very consistent, I am a stable genius."

NATO becomes "richer and stronger". And with this story, Trump wants to go to Putin that he meets in Helsinki on Monday. "I will tell Putin that all NATO countries will really meet the 2% standard now."

And Trump is gone. Premier in London. Then at his golf course in Scotland – "I have real estate all over the world" – prepare in peace for "Helsinki".

US Weapons for Sale

In a small press room, Prime Minister Mark Rutte back on two days that were dominated by Trump. "We showed him that we all feel the urgency of finding additional acceleration in the vicinity of this 2%." Rutte still has a concern: "We must still be able to spend all this in the long run."

But before that, Trump had already proposed the solution earlier in the day. "The United States will help others with their defense purchases because we have the best of everything."