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NATO secretary general Mark Rutte On Tuesday, the American president congratulated Donald Trump for his “decisive action” against Iran And pushing the allies to stimulate defense expenses in a text message that Trump made public and that NATO confirmed was legitimate.
Trump has published Long SMS screenshots at his social website Truth while he was heading for Brussels for the two days Summit in The Hague, with The conflict in the Middle East expected looming on talks.
The message seemed to have been sent by Rutte on signal.
A NATO spokesperson confirmed to Global News that the screenshots were “a message that the secretary general sent to President Trump earlier during the day.”
“Mr. President, dear Donald”, begins the text. “Congratulations and thank you for your decisive action in Iran, it was really extraordinary, and something else dared to do.
“Donald,” he continues, “you have taken us to a really important time, really important for America and Europe, and the world. You will realize something that no American president in decades could be done. Europe will pay significantly, as they should, and it will be your victory. Travels safely and see you during His Majesty’s dinner! ”
Rutte did not seem concerned that Trump published his message.
“I have absolutely no problem or problem with this because there is nothing that had to remain secret,” Rutte told journalists.
Trump had trouble holding together A ceasefire that he helped make broker between Iran and Israel While leaving Washington on Tuesday, just a few days after ordering the US military to bomb several Iranian nuclear sites this weekend.
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Trump told journalists on Air Force One that he had convinced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to withdraw more from Iran, and that “the ceasefire is very in force, and I think we are going to keep it there for a long time”.
Rutte refused Monday to comment on the Iranian conflict, telling journalists that he was outside the NATO territory and the subjects set for the summit, although he said that the allies agree that Iran should never have a nuclear weapon.
NATO leaders are expected to engage in a new objective of defense spending at the top, an increase in the previous objective of the 2% of GDP alliance.
As part of the new plan, countries would spend 3.5% of GDP for “basic defense” – such as weapons and troops – and an additional 1.5% on safety -related investments, such as adaptation of roads, ports and bridges to be used by military vehicles, the protection of pipelines and the deterrence of cyber attacks.
This increase, to be gradual in more than 10 years, would mean hundreds of billions of dollars in additional defense.
Trump was recognized for stimulating this increase by criticizing NATO allies who have not achieved the objective since its appearance in 2014 – including Canada – and threatening not to come with these members in the event of an attack.
Questioned by journalists on the Air Force one Tuesday if he still supports the commitment of article 5 of NATO to self -defense, Trump replied: “Depends on your definition”.
“There are many definitions of article 5 – You know, right?” He said. “I am determined to be their friends. I became a friend with many of these leaders, and I committed myself to help them. ”
Invited to clarify his position, Trump said: “I am determined to save lives, I am determined to live and safety, and I will give you an exact definition when I get there. I just want to do it at the back of an airplane.”
Trump said he wanted all allies to spend five percent of the defense GDP – a level that no member, including the United States, is currently meeting. He would not undertake to increase American defense expenses when he was asked on Tuesday, saying only that the fact that European members make him strengthen the alliance.
“He wants his allies to spend more so that he can take his strengths and put them elsewhere,” Christian Leuprecht, main member of defense and security at MacDonald-Laurier Institute, told Global Leuprecht in an interview.
“It is incredible that, fundamentally, we double the defense expenses and that no one flashes even an eye.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney, who will attend a little more than a week after welcoming Trump and other G7 summit leaders in Alberta, said Canada will reach 2% by the end of this exercise, with more than $ 9 billion in new defense investments.
Rutte’s text message is not the first Trump published publicly to show the leaders and the allies the praise.
Earlier this month, he published screenshots of a long text by his ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, who partially called him “the most consecutive president of a century-perhaps never” and suggested that God was talking by Trump.
The White House then published the text on its official social networks.
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