Trump Says NATO Members Committed to Increased Spending; French President Denies Claim

Posted on July 12, 2018

UPDATED: 7/12/18  9:02AM

STANSTED MOUNTFITCHET, England (AP) – President Donald Trump has arrived in Great Britain for his first visit as president amid NATO tensions, protests and Brexit turmoil. Air Force One has landed at London Stansted Airport, where Trump is beginning a four-day visit to the country.

BRUSSELS (AP) – During an unnannounced press conference during the NATO Summitt in Brussels, Belgium President Donald Trump said he probably can withdraw the U.S. from NATO but that such a step is “unnecessary.”

Published reports Thursday said Trump had threatened during the NATO summit in Brussels to pull the U.S. out of the military alliance in a dispute over defense spending.

Trump says at a news conference that he was “extremely unhappy” with the situation, but that alliance members have upped their commitment in response to his complaints.

Asked whether he’s still threatening to pull out of NATO and whether he can do so without buy-in from Congress, Trump said: “I think I probably can but that’s unnecessary.”

WATCH: Full press conference from Brussels:

Meanitme, Friend President Emmanuel Macron denies Trump claim that NATO powers agreed to increase defense spending beyond previous targets.

“President Trump never at any moment, either in public or in private, threatened to withdraw from NATO,” Macron told reporters.

He said the leaders of the alliance’s 29 members met in an extraordinary session on Thursday morning at the request of NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg

Copyright 2018. WBAP/KLIF News. This Report Contains Material from the Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

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