Allies not paying for defence, says Donald Trump
He denounced allies for not paying their fair share.
US President Donald Trump on Thursday berated Nato allies for not doing enough on terrorism and spending, while stopping short of the public commitment to collective defence they had hoped for.
Mr Trump’s broadside at fellow leaders during his first Nato summit came as he unveiled a 9/11 memorial at the alliance’s new $1.2 billion headquarters in Brussels which is meant to highlight allied unity and purpose.
Mr Trump said the bombing in the British city of Manchester on Monday, claimed by the Islamic State group, showed that “terrorism must be stopped in its tracks.” “The Nato of the future must include a great focus on terrorism and immigration as well as threats from Russia and Nato’s eastern and southern borders,” he said.
He denounced allies for not paying their fair share, saying that even if they met a commitment to allocate two percent of GDP to defence, it would still not be enough to meet the challenges. “Twenty-three of the 28 member nations are still not paying what they should be paying,” he said.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, meanwhile, struck an entirely different note. “Germany will not forget the contribution Nato made in order to reunify our country. This is why we will indeed make our contribution to security,” she said.