EU/NATO/RUSSIA/SPENDING/TRADE WARS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump renewed his criticism of European allies on Tuesday [7-10-18] and said he was most optimistic about meeting with President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, as he departed for a summit meeting in Brussels that threatens to highlight acrimony within NATO. Mr. Trump’s comments touched off a round of trans-Atlantic sniping with Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, that was sure to start the NATO meeting on a tense note…He complained anew about trade deficits with the European Union, and seemed to threaten to cut American military spending in a bid to compel other NATO members to increase theirs…The complaints reflected the degree to which Mr. Trump is coming into the summit meeting focused on his anger with NATO and his conviction that the alliance exploits American largess to the detriment of the United States. That is a stark departure from previous American presidents of both parties, who have tended to regard the alliance as an invaluable force for collective defense that reflects shared values among its members.”
–Julie Hirschfeld Davis, “As Trump Criticizes NATO, E.U. Leader Warns: You ‘Won’t Have a Better Ally’,” The New York Times online, July, 10, 2018