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US presidents have long pressed their NATO counterparts to increase their military spending. But Mr. Trump's insistence that other nations owe money distorts the operation of the alliance, and the numbers he quotes are misleading
( Nos Journalists verified the President's assertions on financial relations between the United States and other NATO countries )
NATO has a budget to cover shared costs and some equipment used in joint operations, and all 29 member countries contribute to it. None of the allies failed to pay his contribution
. Trump's complaint is that while NATO member countries have agreed to spend at least 2% of their gross domestic product on military spending, most do not. But none has violated this agreement, as the figure of 2% is a target to be reached by 2024.
According to NATO, all members have significantly increased their military spending since 2014 , and eight should achieve this goal this year. 19659007] Mr Trump tweeted Monday that the United States accounted for 90% of military spending of NATO countries, but the alliance says the real figure is about 67%. And most US military spending is not related to NATO.
Despite this, the organization says on its website: "The alliance as a whole in the United States demonstrated an excessive reliance on providing essential capabilities, particularly with respect to intelligence, surveillance and recognition; air-to-air refueling; ballistic missile defense; and airborne electronic warfare. "
– Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Steven Erlanger
A free area of Twitter? Trump finds a way
If Mr. Trump was in a thorny mood while he was entering the meeting of NATO, its assistants and its cautious allies found a source of comfort: not Twitter.
Mobile phones are banned in the room where the 29 rulers are located, and NATO blocks signals in the building to prevent eavesdropping and hacking. So people did not expect Mr. Trump to have access to his favorite medium for at least a few hours
The president found a way to tweet.
As the opening session unfolded on Wednesday Mr. Trump sent messages about the trade war that he had escalated by imposing tariffs on $ 200 billion of Chinese goods. He said that he had acted in the name of American agriculture
I am in Brussels, but I still think of our farmers. Soy beans fell by 50% between 2012 and my election. Farmers have done poorly for 15 years. Trade barriers and tariffs in other countries have destroyed their businesses. I'm going to open …
–
Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump)
11 July 2018
He continued on Twitter that he would open things up "better than ever, but that can not go too fast.I am fighting for a level playing field for our farmers and I will win! "
It is unclear whether Mr. Trump violated the rule of telephone ban from the NATO meeting or whether a tweet was sent by an aide. one thing was certain: there is no guard @realdonaldtrump of his followers – Julie Hirschfeld Davis
A demonstration of solidarity with Ukraine
The leaders of the NATO should meet with their Ukrainian counterparts on Thursday to demonstrate their solidarity with Kiev after the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014 and in front of continued military support from Moscow to rebels in the east from the Ukraine
The meeting is a pointed reminder from the West of the principle that a nati one must not violate the territorial integrity of another. Discussions on the resolution of the dispute in Ukraine have for the most part failed.
NATO leaders are also scheduled to meet the leaders of Georgia on Thursday, in the same spirit of support for Tbilisi against Russia, which has occupied parts of the country since 2008. 19659023] Ukraine and Ukraine Georgia will be invited to discuss their progress in security and defense review and cooperation with NATO, but long-term plans to rally them to the alliance remain suspended. – Steven Erlanger
After NATO: Queen Elizabeth and Theresa May
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