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Brussels. Donald Trump managed to create chaos at another summit
For the American president, everything seems to be a contest where he once again proclaimed winner.
Without anyone seeing him pass the line of arrival.
to get a dramatic end when President Trump suddenly called for a press conference in the middle of the meeting. Prior to that, he declared that he was threatening the United States to leave NATO unless other countries agreed to spend at least two percent more on defense spending
An American journalist sitting next to me at the press conference. However, instead of announcing its withdrawal, Trump said on the podium that the summit had been very successful and that everyone accepted US requests to increase their funding.
He gave no details, but claimed that it was "a few short years" instead of 2024.
Trump did not hide the & # 39; Another weight that fell because in the morning and yesterday he was "very unhappy". "with the situation where the United States accounts for more than 70% of NATO spending."
1 of 3 Photo: Geert Vanden Wijngaert / TT / NTB Scanpix
Trump no.
No guarantee
In his historical writings, he had received for a few hours the countries that had not reached the two percent by promising to do so. very quickly. "
Trump also failed to point out that a" row "of former US presidents at NATO summits said that Europe had to pay more, but no d & # 39; Between them really put the power behind the words in the same way as him.
Trump is, in other words, the best and the only one cleared.
Trump won. Something that he promised to do again and again in the electoral movement
The problem is that it is difficult to com take where the victory exists.
There is no indication that other countries have given guarantees that they will reach the 2% target by 2024. They gave Trump's oral promises between the bowl and the wall.
It is enough that Trump can proclaim himself a winner and that is all he wants to be able to be reelected in 2020.
End
Other leaders seems satisfied that at least the The meeting did not find itself in the persistent disagreement that it began. All you have to worry about now is that one of the leaders will try to take away Trump's victory by telling him. Then we can have a situation similar to that of the G7 in Canada, where Trump withdraws its approval of the final document after the statement by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau disrupted Trump.
The Secretary General of NATO took care to keep his mouth shut. the question of what specific commitments the different countries have made. It was a lot of harkland and art breaks.
– Everyone has agreed to double their efforts, said Stoltenberg. The positions of President Trump were of great importance
but he did not give precise information on the countries that increased their defense spending more quickly.
Nies
Stoltenberg, as the US President did at his press conference This money has been flowing back into NATO since Trump took office. Last year, the 29 member states, with the exception of the United States, increased their defense spending by $ 41 billion.
But Italy and Denmark deny having agreed to a delay prior to 2024. [19659005NilassertionofTrumpsonlythattheotherNATOcountrieswouldhavetoconsumeatleasttwopercentoftheirproductdomesticallyunderthedefenseordefensecostsoftheUSStream2iscontroversial
NATO agreed that all countries reach the level of 2 percent. But the requirement must not be met until 2024. So, when Trump says that countries must raise their funding "immediately", it is a requirement that the United States may have but that does not. has no support in the decisions taken by NATO.
] Trump is not the only one to criticize Nord Stream 2. Sweden is one of the countries that are most hesitant about the pipeline that, according to many people, makes Europe too dependent on Russian energy. Something that can be exploited by the Kremlin in a crisis.
But no other leader would think of calling himself insulting and plum like Donald Trump did during those two days in Brussels. Especially not at the friends of a summit that is supposed to radiate unity and cooperation.
We have a situation where an American president who wants to appear as a superhero holds the leadership of Europe as a kind of hostage. Europe is completely dependent on the United States for its security. Therefore, it is difficult for the leaders of the continent to say. It is better then to keep my good not to suffer from the wrath of the American president
Perhaps the Swedish Prime Minister summed up the state of mind when he talked about the trend of Defense Expenses:
– If Trump Wants to Attribute Merit
Therefore, Trump succeeds in shaking off scandals 00:35