Trump kicks off European tour by bashing NATO, EU on trade before Putin summit

Reuters/Christine Hartmann

U.S. President Donald Trump (R) speaks beside NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the start of the NATO summit at their new headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, May 25, 2017.

• President Donald Trump kicked off a four-nation European tour by bashing the NATO alliance as unfair to US taxpayers.
• NATO allies are also worried about his potential embrace of Russia's Vladimir Putin during a summit in Helsinki.
• During his presidential campaign, he suggested he might only come to the defense of NATO nations that fulfilled their obligation to spend at least 2% of GDP on defense.
• Trump has been slamming NATO states on Twitter and sometimes taking Putin's side. Putin is anti-NATO.

President Donald Trump kicked off a four-nation European tour by bashing NATO as unfair to US taxpayers.

Combine with his pending meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Finland, Trump has allies fretting over the risk of damage he could do to the decades-old NATO alliance.

"Getting ready to leave for Europe. First meeting - NATO. The U.S. is spending many times more than any other country in order to protect them. Not fair to the U.S. taxpayer. On top of that we lose $151 Billion on Trade with the European Union. Charge us big Tariffs (& Barriers)!" Trump tweeted on Tuesday.

Trump has been pressing NATO countries to fulfill their goal of spending 2 percent of their gross domestic products on defense by 2024. During his presidential campaign, he suggested he might only come to the defense of NATO nations that fulfilled their obligation. He continues to criticize NATO countries for not paying their fair share.

NATO's article 5 says that any member of the alliance can invoke a mutual defense if it's attacked. The US became the only nation to invoke that clause after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks. NATO allies responded with nearly two decades of support for US operations in Afghanistan.

"The United States is spending far more on NATO than any other Country. This is not fair, nor is it acceptable," Trump tweeted Monday, insisting that NATO benefits Europe "far more than it does the U.S."

"On top of this the European Union has a Trade Surplus of $151 Million with the U.S., with big Trade Barriers on U.S. goods. NO!" he protested.

NATO estimates that 15 members, or just over half, will meet the benchmark by 2024 based on current trends.

Trump causing trouble for the UK

Matt Cardy / Getty

Trump, who has compared the Brexit vote to leave the EU to his own election, will be making his maiden presidential trip to Britain at a fraught time for May. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Brexit Secretary David Davis resigned within hours of each other in protest of her plan.

The trip that begins Tuesday in Brussels will also take Trump to London, where Prime Minister Theresa May's government is in turmoil over her plans for exiting the European Union.

Trump's visit is expected to attract large protests in London and elsewhere in Britain.

Trump and Putin's meeting raises eyebrows

Thomson Reuters

Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

Trump's weeklong trip to Europe will continue with a stop in Scotland before ending with a sit-down in Helsinki with Putin, whose country the U.S. intelligence community has concluded interfered in the 2016 election to help Trump win.

The meeting will be closely watched to see whether Trump will rebuke or embrace Putin, who has repeatedly denied the allegations of election meddling, in spite of evidence to the contrary.