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This trip gives Trump the chance to switch to most of Europe, or closer to Russia.
Shortly before leaving Washington, Trump hinted that he was going to stick to the eyes of NATO. You have to pay MORE, the United States has to pay less … Very unfair! "
Asked later about whether Putin is a friend or an enemy, he replied," I really can not say for the moment. Still, Trump administration officials insist that the president's goals are to strengthen NATO by drawing more concessions from US allies and convey a stern message to Putin on the interference from Russia to the US elections – even as his own rhetoric suggest that the first claim is in question, and he does not believe that the latter is true.
"The main thing, the main deliverable, the major theme of this summit will be the strength and unity of NATO" Kay Bailey Hutchison, the US ambassador to NATO , said. "I would say that our main areas of deterrence would be Russia and the malicious activities of Russia, the efforts of Russia to divide our democratic nation, violations of the Treaty [Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces] all these things are now handled by NATO Denis Mercier, James Mattis and Kay Bailey Hutchison “/>
There is broad consensus on these goals in European and national foreign policy circles, reversing the equation and giving Putin an opportunity to gain strength vis-à-vis countries from the NATO
"What we want is a sense of unity. Said Laura Rosenberger, director of the German Marshall Fund's Alliance for the Promotion of Democracy and foreign policy advisor to Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign.
"All that does not seem to be showing a unified front is one that will a) will leave the allies nervous and b) will give Putin the feeling that he has space to exploit and he will, of course, "she said said. "Even without a big crack in Brussels, Putin surely sees many places where he can play Trump and exploit tensions in the alliance."
"We are the schmuck who pay for everything "
A reelection rally in Great Falls, Montana, last week, Trump complained about the US trade deficit with the European Union, which amounts to about $ 150 billion per year. year, and the reluctance of some countries to respect a 12-year bring at least 2% of its gross domestic product to its own defense.
His argument is that the United States is being caught by European trading partners who rely on US money to defend them against Russia and other threats. He singled out Germany, which imports oil and gas from Russia, while spending much less than 2% of its GDP on defense.
"We are the bad guys who pay for everything," he told the audience. He told German Chancellor Angela Merkel that he does not believe that the United States benefits as much from NATO as Germany.
One fear in Europe – and among those of the Washington political establishment – is that Trump could possibly continue his threat of withdrawing US forces from Germany, where more than 30,000 American troops are stationed , and to diminish this deterrent factor against Russian aggression
This may help explain why Germany is expected to announce this week that it will increase Trump's share showed a deep contempt for him. NATO of his days on the trail of the campaign
"I think NATO is obsolete", he said in 2016. "NATO was made to a me, you had the Soviet Union, which was obviously bigger, much bigger than Russia today.I do not say that Russia is not a threat.But we have other Threats. "
While he has since repealed his often articulated analysis that the alliance is" obsolete, "Trump ad clared in Montana last week that "& # 39; NATO is killing us. "
But Trump's Last Minute The decision to withdraw from a joint statement with other G-7 countries after a summit held last month in Canada has heightened concerns about the 39; eventuality of a similar decision at the end of the NATO meeting.
Thursday, Trump will make the 200-mile jump from Brussels to London, where he will stand in the middle of. a crisis on the management of Britain's exit – or "Brexit" – from the European Union in May.
stay, it should be met, separately, by May, Queen Elizabeth – and a gigantic Inflatable balloon "Trump Baby" with a blonde headdress, small hands and a white layer that has become the symbol of the important events expected to greet him in the United Kingdom.
] The two big questions on the American side are whether Trump will make progress toward a bilateral trade agreement with the UK, and whether he will get involved in the May debate
Boris Johnson, his Foreign Minister and the face of the Brexit movement, resigned from the cabinet of May after the departure of David Davis, the Brexit process leader, and there is a real chance that the Conservative caucus could vote for the Brexit process. Evacuate soon.
There is a "big push" to fire May, said an American source with ties to British Conservatives. ves. "Trump's visit could not come at a bad time for the month of May."
So the big question for May is whether she will survive politically, with key figures in her own party abandoning her government to protest against a plan Brexit UK in agreement with the parties to the "Common Regulation" of the European Union dealing with trade in goods.
"The Tory Brexit plan that took two years to develop has collapsed in two days," said Matthew Doyle. political advisor to former Prime Minister Tony Blair. If May quickly moves away from the Checkers plan, the damage will be "serious but not automatically fatal," Doyle says.
Still, it would be understandable that May is a little distracted on Thursday night when she is scheduled. to host a dinner and tie for Trump at Blenheim Palace, the birthplace of Winston Churchill, and at their business meetings on Friday.
Trump said Tuesday that May's future is "at the height of people" – although it can be determined While Trump applauded British voters for "taking back their country" when they have opted for "Brexit" in 2016, it advocates neither a hard or soft detachment from the continental economic alliance, the US ambassador. in the UK Robert "Woody" Johnson said. And yet, it would be hardly surprising that Trump revisit the future of the nationalist plebiscite that many international political observers have presumed to have won in 2016, especially given his prolific relationship with May [19659031] <img src = "https://media1.s-nbcnews.com/j/newscms/2018_17/2412221/180426-donald-trump-theresa-may-al-1226_9b78c82a380647f6b8771f3d9207d72d.fit-760w.jpg" alt = "Image Donald Trump and Theresa May [19659007LeprésidentDonaldJTrumpsaluelePremierministrebritanniqueTheresaMayalorsqu'ellearriveàlaMaisonBlancheàWashingtonle27janvier2017LepremierministreMayestlepremierchefd'EtatétrangeràrencontrerleprésidentTrumpàlaMaisonBlanche[19659008ShawnThew/EPA
the British are eager to convince Trump to be more firm with Putin, particularly regarding the poisoned dead d & # 39; a former Russian spy and his daughter on British soil in March 2017. Last week, two British citizens became ill as a result of exposure to the same neurogenic agent, Novichok, nearby – one of them having died last weekend
"Eyes of the world are currently on Russia "says Javid. "It is time now that the Russian state presents itself and explains what happened."
Russia denied any involvement in the poisonings and argued that Britain prevented a joint investigation.
It remains to be seen whether Trump, who split up with the administration and the members of Congress on their conclusions that Russia was ingested during his election in 2016, will plead against Putin and fear not to represent the interests of America and its allies in Helsinki. After a meeting with Queen Elizabeth at Windsor Castle on Friday – where etiquette reigns supreme – Trump plans to spend the weekend in Scotland
The Finlandish Line
After returning from a Congress trip to Russia Last week, Sen. John Thune, RS.D., said lawmakers took a hard line with Kremlin officials on a variety of topics that could arise when Trump sits down with Putin on Monday.
"During our meetings, we have it is clear that Russia must stop interfering in our elections and that its destabilizing actions in the region are not inconsequential," said Thune. "The delegation also stressed that Russia respected the sovereignty of Ukraine and contributed to a peaceful resolution in Syria.These discussions were direct and direct.It now belongs to the Russian government to demonstrate that it will be an actor But Trump's relations with Russia were complicated by his domestic politics and he often wondered if Russia had interfered in the 2016 elections as part of its defense against an investigation by a special advocate on a possible collusion between his campaign and Moscow, and, in particular, he said that he was taking Putin to the word that Russia was not involved – a position in disagreement with the assessments of the country. Obama administration, its own national security officials and a bipartisan Senate survey on the role of Russia in the influence of US elections
"Whenever he sees me, he says, "I did not do that," Trump said last November. "And I believe, I really believe, that when he tells me that, he wants it."
To deter Putin, Trump would probably need to draw a very clear line – much harder than all his public statements to
"The absence of a clear message," said Rosenberger, "will be taken by Putin as a license to continue especially in the perspective of 2018 and beyond. "
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