BRUSSELS: US President Donald Trump on Thursday launched an extraordinary broadside at NATO allies for failing to pay their fair share of the defence bill. Trump said that even if they met the commitment they made in 2014 to allocate two percent of GDP to defence, it would still not be enough to meet the challenges NATO faces. Many of these nations owe massive amounts of money from past years,” Trump added. In dedicating the 9/11 Article 5 memorial, the president was “sending a strong signal” of his committment to NATO, Stoltenberg said. Trump came to Brussels direct from a “fantastic” meeting with Pope Francis at the Vatican, after visiting Saudi Arabia, Israel and the Palestinian Territories.

Source: Manila Times May 25, 2017 21:00 UTC