Donald Trump now backs NATO
After months of criticism, US president says the global military alliance is no longer ‘obsolete’.
President Donald Trump has not been in the White House for 100 days, but he has already done an apparent U-turn on a number of his key campaign promises.
As a candidate Trump dismissed NATO as “obsolete”, saying the post-World War II military alliance was not focused on combating the growing threat from “terrorism”.
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And he complained that too many members were not paying their fair share towards defence.
But after a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Trump struck an entirely different tone.
He now says the organisation is “a bulwark of international peace and security”.
So what prompted the switch and how will Russia respond?
Presenter: Sohail Rahman
Guests:
In Washington DC: Richard Weitz, Director of the Center for Political-Military Analysis at the Hudson Institute
In Moscow: Ivan Timofeev, Director of Programs at the Russian International Affairs Council
In Tallinn: Urmas Paet, former Estonian Foreign Minister and a member of the European Parliament
Published On 13 Apr 2017