President Donald Trump listens as French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a meeting at Winfield House during the NATO summit, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2019, in London. (Photo by Evan Vucci / AP)
WATFORD, England 鈥� NATO leaders on Wednesday played down their differences and insisted that they remain united over security issues and determined to defend each other despite a series of spats between the presidents of some of the alliance鈥檚 biggest member countries.
Before a summit near London, French President Emmanuel Macron had lamented the 鈥渂rain death鈥� of NATO due in part to what he called a lack of U.S. leadership. President Donald Trump branded his remarks as 鈥渧ery disrespectful.鈥� Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan suggested that Macron himself is 鈥渂rain dead.鈥�
The infighting is mostly due to Turkey鈥檚 invasion of northern Syria. Macron has complained that Trump pulled U.S. troops out of the region without warning his NATO allies. Turkey saw the move as a greenlight to send its troops in.
鈥淣ATO is agile, NATO is active, NATO is adapting,鈥� NATO-Secretary Jens Stoltenberg said when asked by reporters whether the world鈥檚 biggest security alliance is brain dead.
鈥淎s long as we are able to deliver substance鈥� then NATO proves once again that we are able to respond to a shifting security landscape, and that鈥檚 the best way to also provide unity of this alliance,鈥� he said before chairing the meeting at a luxury hotel and golf resort.
Summit host Prime Minister Boris Johnson 鈥� also busy with a divisive British election campaign 鈥� said 鈥渃learly it is very important that the alliance stays together, but there is far, far more that unites us than divides us.鈥�
Johnson said NATO鈥檚 success is due to 鈥渢he very simple concept of safety in numbers. At the heart of it is a pledge that we will come to one another鈥檚 defense: all for one and one for all.鈥�
Erdogan didn鈥檛 speak to waiting media. Trump arrived via a different entrance, away from media.
Macron, however, refused to apologize for his remarks, saying they had ignited a debate at NATO about important strategic issues.
鈥淚t鈥檚 allowed us to raise fundamental debates,鈥� he said, chief among them being 鈥渉ow to build sustainable peace in Europe.鈥�
He said NATO 鈥渄ebates should be about other things than budgets and finances.鈥�
Stoltenberg noted that European allies and Canada have added $130 billion to their defense spending since 2016, even as Trump has complained that they are too slow to boost their military budgets.
鈥淭his is unprecedented, this is making us stronger,鈥� Stoltenberg said of the spending effort.
After Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, NATO countries halted their post-Cold War spending cuts and began increasing spending. They pledged to 鈥渕ove toward鈥� spending 2% of their annual GDP on national defense by 2024.
Trump said Tuesday that much more needs to be done.
鈥淵ou could make the case that they鈥檝e been delinquent for 25-30 years,鈥� Trump said. The figure of 2%, he added, 鈥渋s a very low number, it really should be 4.鈥�
Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel conceded that 鈥渨e have experienced easier times. But we鈥檙e allies after all and we鈥檙e going to speak about everything.鈥�
鈥淭he atmosphere last night was much more relaxed than what I expected after hearing what had happened over the last 24 hours. But I think differences can arise. We just have to talk about them,鈥� Bettel said, referring to receptions late Tuesday at Buckingham Palace and at Downing Street.
After a working session of a few hours on Wednesday, the leaders of the 29-nation trans-Atlantic alliance are due to publish a declaration underlining their commitment to NATO on its 70th birthday, and to show that the alliance is adapting to modern threats and potential new adversaries like China.
/atm