The Donalds: Tusk (left) and Trump
President Donald Trump opened meetings with European Union leaders yesterday against the backdrop of striking anger from Britain over intelligence leaks and a decision by Manchester police to withhold information from the United States about the investigation into this week’s bombing.
A British official said that Manchester police have decided not to share further information on the investigation due to leaks blamed on U.S. officials. The sharp rebuke comes as Trump is in Brussels, a city he once called a hellhole, to address leaders at both the European Union and NATO, a pair of alliances whose necessity he has questioned.
The EU council president said a discussion with Trump produced sharply different views on Russia. NATO leaders nervously waited to see if Trump would pledge to adhere to a mutual defense pact. And the new French president pushed Trump on a sweeping climate agreement and even engaged in an apparent handshake stand-off.
Later in the day, Trump was expected to attend his first meeting of NATO, the decades-long partnership that has become intrinsic to safeguarding the West but has been rattled by the new president’s wavering on honoring its bonds.
British Prime Minister Theresa May said she plans to discuss the leaks with her American counterpart at the NATO gathering to “make clear to President Trump that intelligence that is shared between our law enforcement agencies must remain secure.”
British officials are particularly angry that photos detailing evidence about the bomb used in the Manchester attack were published in The New York Times, although it’s not clear that the paper obtained the photos from U.S. officials.
Trump, who unlike other leaders at the summit is not planning to address reporters, did not respond to shouted questions as to whether the UK can trust the US with sensitive material.
The rebuke comes amid a backdrop of uncertainty in Brussels toward Trump over his past comments publicly cheering the United Kingdom’s vote to leave the EU last summer and slamming the alliance during his transition as “a vehicle for Germany.” Trump has taken a less combative tone since taking office, praising the alliance as “wonderful” and saying a strong Europe is very important to him and the United States.
After meeting with Trump at the EU, European Council president Donald Tusk said he and the U.S. president agreed on the need to combat terrorism but some differences loomed large.
“Some issues remain open, like climate and trade. And I am not 100 percent sure that we can say today – we mean Mr. President and myself – that we have a common position, common opinions about Russia,” said Tusk, who said unity needed to be found around values like freedom and human rights and dignity. AP
Handshake showdown: Macron just won’t let go
President Donald Trump shakes hands with French President Emmanuel Macron during a meeting at the U.S. Embassy, Thursday, May 25, 2017, in Brussels. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
U.S. President Donald Trump met his match in a handshake showdown with France’s new president, Emmanuel Macron. At their first meeting, ahead of a NATO summit in Brussels, the two men locked hands for so long that knuckles started turning white. Trump finally seemed ready to pull away — but Macron evidently wasn’t. The French leader held the shake for a few seconds more. Both men’s jaws seemed to clench. Trump has described himself as “a germ freak” and called handshakes “barbaric.”
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