Is the Nato summit going to precipitate the greatest crisis for the Western alliance since 1966? Senior figures in the British government fear it will, as I reveal in the magazine this week.
Trans-Atlantic relations are already at their lowest ebb in decades, as the US and the EU fight over trade. This summit will, as Fraser pointed out recently, give Trump the chance to open another front in this war. He’ll be able to berate — with some justification — Germany, and all but three of Nato’s EU members, for not spending the alliance minimum of two per cent of GDP on defence last year. He’ll be able to ask why the United States, which accounted for more than 70 per cent of Nato spending in 2017, should devote more resources to the defence of the continent of Europe than Europeans do.
The success of May’s visit to Washington in 2017 was getting Trump to publicly commit to Nato.
Get Britain's best politics newsletters
Register to get The Spectator's insight and opinion straight to your inbox. You can then read two free articles each week.
Already a subscriber? Log in
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in