Latest news with #summit
News24
a day ago
- Politics
- News24
From NATO critic to cheerleader: Trump's summit transformation may not last
President Trump experienced a dramatic shift in attitude toward NATO during the summit. NATO leaders strategically managed the summit to appeal to Trump, providing him with royal treatment in the Netherlands, meeting defense spending commitments demands, showering him with praise. The summit raised questions about the alliance's priorities being guided by one person, with Ukraine appearing to be the 'biggest loser'. It will go down as the summit where US President Donald Trump learned to stop worrying and love NATO. Trump revelled in gushing praise from leaders in The Hague - including being called "daddy" by alliance chief Mark Rutte - and a pledge to boost defence spending as he had demanded. But it went further than just lapping up flattery. Trump also spoke of what sounded like an almost religious conversion to NATO after years of bashing other members as freeloaders and threatening to leave. "I came here because it was something I'm supposed to be doing, but I left here a little bit differently," Trump said at his closing press conference on Wednesday. "I watched the heads of these countries get up, and the love and the passion that they showed for their country was unbelievable. I've never seen quite anything like it. "It was really moving to see it." READ | Trump celebrates 'great victory' at NATO summit as allies promise spending increase A day after returning to the White House, Trump still sounded uncharacteristically touchy-feely about his time with his 31 NATO counterparts. "A wonderful day with incredible and caring Leaders," he posted on his Truth Social platform on Thursday. Turnaround It was a remarkable turnaround from the US president's first term. Trump repeatedly berated allies as not paying up and threatened to pull the US out of NATO as part of his wider disdain for international institutions and alliances. At his first summit in 2017 in Brussels, Trump memorably shoved aside Montenegro's Prime Minister Dusko Markovic as he made his way to the front of the stage. A year later, Trump publicly lambasted Germany and privately talked about wanting to quit. But this time, NATO leaders had carefully choreographed the trip. They massaged the numbers to give Trump the defence spending deal he while Trump headed to the summit dropping F-bombs in frustration at a shaky Iran-Israel ceasefire, NATO leaders love-bombed him from the moment he arrived. The Netherlands put him up overnight in the Dutch king's royal palace and gave him a royal dinner and breakfast - "beautiful", according to Trump - while NATO organisers deliberately kept the summit short. Frederick Kempe, the chief executive officer of the Atlantic Council, said Trump had "waxed poetic" about NATO in a way he had never done before. "Trump - the vilifier of European deadbeats on defence and crusader against allies for what he sees as unfair trade practices - sounded like an altered man," he said in a commentary. 'Daddy's Home' The question now is what it means for NATO when the alliance's priorities end up guided by one man. The final summit statement's language on Russia's invasion of Ukraine was watered down from previous years. It also made no mention of Ukraine's push to join NATO. Reporters were not allowed into Trump's meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The move was partly because of their Oval Office bust-up in February, but it also deprived Zelensky of the set-piece he had craved. "The biggest loser was Ukraine," said Ed Arnold of the Royal United Services Insitute in London. Trump also hinted at what lies in store for any backsliders on the defence spending pledge, threatening to make Spain "pay" on trade over its resistance to commit to the new target. As with any relationship, the pressure will now be on NATO to keep up the first flush of love over the three summits that are due to take place over the rest of Trump's second term. "The real worry is that NATO will be unable to keep up the hype," said Arnold. For now, though, Trump and his administration seem to be content. As he arrived back in Washington, the White House posted a video of summit highlights, with the caption: "Daddy's Home."
CNN
a day ago
- Politics
- CNN
Analysis: Trump dominates NATO summit
Thirty-two world leaders attend this year's NATO summit. But one leader dominated the discussions: President Donald Trump. CNN correspondent Clare Sebastian offers her analysis from The Hague.
CNN
a day ago
- Politics
- CNN
Analysis: Trump dominates NATO summit
Thirty-two world leaders attend this year's NATO summit. But one leader dominated the discussions: President Donald Trump. CNN correspondent Clare Sebastian offers her analysis from The Hague.
Sky News
a day ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Calls for Scotland-wide seagull summit amid warnings someone could be killed
Politicians have called for a Scotland-wide seagull summit to be held amid warnings someone could be killed. Former Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross told the Scottish parliament during a debate on the issue that people risk losing their lives over the "growing problem" of "nuisance" gulls. Scots are being left "scared, attacked and traumatised", fellow Tory Rachael Hamilton said as she called for a nationwide summit to tackle the issue. Ms Hamilton said "aggressive" seagulls had attacked seven children in one month last year in Eyemouth, leaving one girl "with gashes to her scalp and blood running down her face". Agriculture minister Jim Fairlie had already promised to hold a seagull summit in the north of Scotland, but Ms Hamilton, who represents the south of Scotland, said a summit for the whole country is necessary. The Ettrick, Roxburgh and Berwickshire MSP called for action on the "growing nuisance", which she said posed a health and safety risk to residents. Ms Hamilton said the debate was "important" as she criticised what she said was a lack of action from the Scottish government, telling MSPs that "absolutely nothing" was getting done. "Aggressive seagull behaviour continues to cause a real concern amongst businesses, amongst tourists, amongst everybody that has anything to do along the harbour," she said about her constituency in Eyemouth. She said one business owner had described the situation as "people being scared, attacked and traumatised". 'Extremely serious issue' Mr Ross said during the debate in Scottish parliament on Thursday, one day before summer recess, that people would often "smirk" when hearing that the Scottish Parliament was debating the problems around gulls - but he said it was an "extremely serious issue". The Highlands and Islands MSP said constituents have told him they were worried about leaving their homes for fear of being "divebombed", while others have suffered mental health issues thanks to a lack of sleep caused by noisy gulls. He accused NatureScot of having a conflict of interest as the body responsible for both the licensing to control birds and to conserve them. He went on: "The behaviour of the SNP's quango NatureScot confirms they have lost the plot. They have told people to protect themselves with umbrellas and even suggested dogs as a deterrent. "The time has come to break up NatureScot. There is a clear conflict of interest in the fact they are responsible for considering licences to control gulls but are also responsible for protecting bird numbers." He added: "The strength of the cross-party support in my debate today should be all the SNP government need to finally act before we see someone killed due to being attacked by a gull." Jim Fairlie, the minister for agriculture, warned that the issue of gulls was "deadly serious", but said that he could not intervene on NatureScot to change the licensing system because it would leave the government open to judicial review. He urged people to stop feeding the birds, which he said was the primary reason for the issue.
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
EU Climate Push Comes Under Pressure With France Flagging Risks
The European Union's interim climate plan for 2040 faces a pushback at a summit of the bloc's leaders, where French President Emmanuel Macron plans to stress the need for competitive industry during the green transition. Macron is seeking to raise the issue during a debate on competitiveness scheduled later on Thursday, setting the stage for other leaders to express their concerns about the climate goal to be proposed next week, according to diplomats familiar with the matter.
