Donald Trump berates Nato allies for not paying their ‘fair share’ on defence
Washington — US President Donald Trump hectored North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) leaders to pay their "fair share" on defence to help counter the terrorist threat, in a public shaming that risked souring a ceremony intended to mark the alliance’s unity. Citing this week’s attack in the English city of Manchester, Trump told fellow alliance leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, that Nato should focus its efforts on combating terrorism. Yet of the 28 member nations, 23 "are still not paying what they should be paying and what they’re supposed to be paying for their defence", he said. "That is not fair to the people and taxpayers of the US," Trump said at the event in Brussels on Thursday to mark the opening of Nato’s new headquarters. "Many of these nations owe massive amounts of money from past years and not paying in those past years." Trump’s rebuke of mainly European allies for not spending the recommended 2% of GDP on defence came during a ceremony marking ...
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