NATO chief ‘certain’ Trump will live up to US commitments

However, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini stressed that the bloc did not intend to compete with North Atlantic Treaty Organisation or create a European army.

“Because when you’re a candidate and you say something that is inaccurate or controversial, it has less impact than it does when you’re President of the US”.

The plan set out by European Union defense and foreign ministers could allow the bloc to send forces to stabilize a crisis before U.N. peace keepers can take over, and more broadly cement a willingness to act without the United States.

“One of the great things about our government is we do spend 2 per cent of GDP on defence”, British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson told reporters.

During the presidential campaign, Trump had rejected a comment by President Barack Obama that if Britain voted to leave the European Union it would be at “the back of the queue” for a United States trade deal, saying it wouldn’t make any difference to him.

Following the day-long meeting, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini told members of the press that the bloc has a united position regarding Turkey and that they have made a decision to keep the communication channels open at all levels “to make sure we listen to each other”.

Mr Rasmussen poured cold water on the idea of a European army, which so far includes plans to set up a new EU defence headquarters.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told European Union defense ministers in Brussels on Tuesday that “a strong NATO is important for Europe but it’s also important for the United States”.

During his bombastic campaign, the billionaire businessman also appeared to be conciliatory towards Russian Federation, praising President Vladimir Putin as a much stronger leader than President Barack Obama.

“This is not going to change, regardless of possible shifts in others’ policies”, Federica Mogherini said Sunday after dinner with the ministers.

Mr Trump has raised the prospect that the United States will pull out of the pact, calling it a “disaster” and “the worst deal ever negotiated” during campaigning for the White House, although he has conceded it would be hard to destroy a deal enshrined in a United Nations resolution.

“Mr Trump’s election is just another moment in USA history”.

In an article in Britain’s Observer, days after Trump’s United States election win, Stoltenberg said, “We face the greatest challenges to our security in a generation”, while conceding that Trump had a point about the need for some members to make a bigger financial contribution, as the U.S. now accounted for nearly 70 per cent of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation spending.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach, the Chief of the Defence Staff, told the Murnaghan programme that Mr Trump’s election is just another moment in USA history. We must work to solve our problems of economic growth, migrations, security.

Johnson said Trump’s election is a “moment of opportunity”, and he cautioned EU ministers not to undermine the “fundamental security architecture that’s looked after us for the last 70 years” by jumping ahead with plans for a European defense force.