WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump reiterated his strong support for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation on Friday and pressed German Chancellor Angela Merkel to meet the alliance’s military spending target, in the first face-to-face meeting between the two leaders.
The meeting between the leader of Europe’s largest economy and the US president was billed as one that could help determine the future of the transatlantic alliance and shape their working relationship.
“I reiterated to Chancellor Merkel my strong support for Nato as well as the need for our Nato allies to pay their fair share for the cost of defense,” Trump said at a joint news conference with Merkel.
Merkel said she told Trump Germany needs to meet Nato spending goals. The two also discussed Ukraine and Afghanistan.
Trump said he expected the United States to do “fantastically well” in trade with Germany, while Merkel said she hoped the United States and the European Union could resume discussion on a trade agreement. Trump said he did not believe in isolationism but that trade policy should be fairer.
“We held a conversation where we were trying to address also those areas where we disagree, but we tried to bring people together ... (and) tried to find a compromise that is good for both sides,” the chancellor said.
The president said he “very seldom” regrets anything he tweets, brushing off questions about his claims without evidence that his predecessor, Democrat Barack Obama, wiretapped him during last year’s presidential campaign.
“At least we have something in common,” Donald Trump said, apparently referring to reports during Obama’s presidency that the United States bugged Angela Merkel’s phone. Congressional leaders from both political parties say they do not believe Trump was wiretapped.
Earlier, the new US president greeted the long-serving stateswoman at the White House with a handshake before they began talks in the Oval Office. Both leaders described their meeting in brief remarks to reporters as having been very good.
Published in Dawn, March 18th, 2017
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