Stoltenberg about Trump: "I have a good working relationship with him

By Johan Falnes, NTB

– I have a good working relationship with him, says Stoltenberg in an interview with NTB before the two-day NATO summit in Brussels.

All 29 member countries participate in alliance. But it's President Donald Trump that the world will follow.

– He has a more direct style and a less familiar style than most heads of government, "says Stoltenberg

– But I think we are communicating to them what is important to him. NATO, he says.

Meeting on Disasters last year

The previous NATO summit took place on May 25th. Many of them consider it a mere disaster.

In advance, the meeting was sold as a place where uncertainty had to be lifted and the relationship between the United States and Europe would normalize again after entering the House white. But the president himself was the same.

When he met the new French President Emmanuel Macron, the handshake was so hard that their bones turned white. At the very top, he was filmed as he regularly broke up between heads of state and government.

Then he continued to speak. There he was supposed to find satisfactory words

But that did not prevail. Instead, he brandished the whip on his allies to make them take up a larger share of the NATO bill

Serious Disagreements

Since then, Trump's relations with European leaders have come to collapse

. the Paris climate agreement, moved the United States Embassy to Israel to Jerusalem, has made deep cuts in the UN support, imposed additional duties on the United States. steel and aluminum and removed from the nuclear agreement with Iran. And now he threatens to load cars

Stoltenberg recognizes that there are serious disagreements

– But my task is to make sure that cooperation with NATO is less affected by the others disagreements. "[19659002Fourteenthtime

At the top, Stoltenberg and Trump meet for the fourth time.

Moreover, they spoke on the phone, but NATO does not want to disclose when and how often.

Stoltenberg Saying that there are two things that Trump especially liked in the conversations The first is that the European allies have to contribute more The second is that NATO must redouble efforts in the fight Against Terror

Both cases are on the agenda of the summit, which will be held on Wednesday and Thursday

Believing in unity

was on the G7 in Canada in June. It ended with a big quarrel where Trump finally resigned from the expected final declaration of the meeting.

Intense negotiations are now underway for a final declaration of the NATO summit. But Stoltenberg says that he believes that this will achieve a

– I am confident that at this NATO summit, we will make decisions that will confirm that NATO is providing NATO and NATO converts, we strengthen cooperation between Europe and North America, says Stoltenberg at NTB

– What we have seen is that despite serious disagreements on trade, climate and agreement Iranian, NATO has strengthened in recent years. And we continue to strengthen, he says.

(NTB)