Trump’s debt collector Rex Tillerson heads to Nato
Secretary of state Rex Tillerson, having finally agreed to meet colleagues at his first Nato talks, must now translate Donald Trump’s tweets into a diplomatic strategy
Washington — US secretary of state Rex Tillerson will attend a meeting of the Nato allies on Friday with a demand from President Donald Trump that they increase defence spending. The annual Nato foreign ministers talks in Brussels were brought forward at the last minute after Tillerson warned he would not be able to attend on the long-planned date. Washington’s top diplomat is reportedly keeping time free in early April to take part in a possible golf resort summit between Trump and China’s leader Xi Jinping. But Tillerson needs to meet his colleagues to prepare for Trump’s first full Nato summit, on May 25. And his apparent reluctance to commit to the Nato meeting only served to reinforce the impression that Trump placed little stock in the US’s decades-old alliances. Earlier in March, Trump’s conviction that the allies must somehow pay Washington for the reassuring presence of US forces in Europe, cast a pall over talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. "Germany owes vast sums...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.