EU official criticizes Trump over attitude toward allies
BRUSSELS — A senior European Union official lashed out Tuesday at President Donald Trump, lambasting the U.S. leader’s constant criticism of European allies and urging him to remember who his friends are when he meets Russian President Vladimir Putin next week.
On the eve of a NATO summit meant to showcase the West’s unity and resolve to counter Russia, European Council President Donald Tusk directed a remark at Trump, saying “it is always worth knowing who is your strategic friend and who is your strategic problem.”
NATO is keen to damp down trans-Atlantic differences during the two-day summit at its Brussels headquarters, despite divisions among the alliance’s 29 members over Trump’s policies on trade and his decision to withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal and an international climate agreement.
Tusk’s pointed observation, offered as he signed a joint declaration with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, is unlikely to be the only rhetorical salvo fired this week.