NATO, Gaza and Greenland: Key takeaways from Trump’s news conference

United States President-elect Donald Trump has drawn the ire of satellite leaders arsenic helium highlighted brazen overseas argumentation plans.

Speaking to reporters from his Mar-a-Lago property successful a wide-ranging media conference precocious connected Tuesday, 2 weeks earlier helium takes the reins astatine the White House, Trump made startling claims regarding NATO and Ukraine’s imaginable membership, Israel’s warfare connected Gaza, and Greenland, Canada and the Panama Canal.

As was the lawsuit during Trump’s archetypal term, galore suggest that it’s highly debatable however superior galore of the outlandish ideas helium enactment guardant mightiness prove. But that hasn’t stopped media astir the satellite from taking the bait.

Here are cardinal takeaways and immoderate aboriginal responses:

NATO and Ukraine

Trump told reporters helium sympathised with the Russian presumption that Ukraine should not beryllium portion of NATO.

“A large portion of the occupation is, Russia – for many, galore years, agelong earlier Putin – said, ‘You could ne'er person NATO progressive with Ukraine.’ Now, they’ve said that. That’s been, like, written successful stone,” Trump said.

“And determination on the line, Biden said, ‘No. They should beryllium capable to articulation NATO.’ Well, past Russia has idiosyncratic close connected their doorstep, and I could recognize their feelings astir that.”

Members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization person officially expressed enactment for Ukraine’s eventual rank since the Bucharest Summit of 2008, and the Biden medication continues to enactment Ukraine’s eventual NATO accession.

Meanwhile, Trump has persistently complained that Washington’s NATO partners are not spending capable connected defence and suggested that the US could revisit its committedness to the subject confederation unless they up their game.

Most European members person precocious moved to rise their spending to 2 percent of GDP, NATO’s existent minimum recommendation. However, Trump demanded a monolithic hike connected Tuesday, calling for spending of 5 percent.

Tensions successful the Middle East

Trump said “hell volition interruption out” if a captive merchandise statement is not reached betwixt Hamas and Israel by the clip helium enters office.

“It volition not beryllium bully for Hamas, and it volition not beryllium good, frankly, for anyone,” helium said.

On Syria, Trump was ambiguous astir the future of US engagement successful Syria. “I won’t archer you that, due to the fact that that’s portion of a subject strategy,” helium said.

Acquiring Canada

While the president-elect ruled retired utilizing subject unit against Canada, helium threatened to usage “economic force” against Ottawa, having precocious past twelvemonth suggested that Canada should go the 51st US state.

He called the borderline with the US’s bluish neighbour an “artificially drawn line”.

Canadian absorption to Trump’s remarks was swift. “There isn’t a snowball’s accidental successful hellhole that Canada would go portion of the United States,” outgoing Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said successful a station connected X.

Taking Greenland and the Panama Canal

The president-elect refused to regularisation retired the usage of US subject mightiness to execute his ambitions regarding Greenland and the Panama Canal.

“I’m not going to perpetrate to that,” Trump said, erstwhile asked if helium would regularisation retired the usage of the military. “It mightiness beryllium that you’ll person to bash something. The Panama Canal is captious to our country.” He added, “We request Greenland for nationalist information purposes.”

The Panama Canal has been solely controlled by the eponymous state since the US ended its associated concern successful controlling the strategical waterway successful 1999.

Panama’s authorities connected Wednesday flatly rejected Trump’s vision.

“The sovereignty of our canal is non-negotiable,” Foreign Minister Javier Martinez-Acha said astatine a property conference. “The lone hands that power the canal are Panamanian and that volition stay so,” helium added, emphasising that the canal serves humanity and satellite trade.

An autonomous territory of longtime US state Denmark, Trump said the US needed Greenland for “national information purposes”.

France connected Wednesday warned Trump against threatening the “sovereign borders” of the European Union.

“There is nary question of the EU letting different nations successful the world, whoever they whitethorn be, onslaught its sovereign borders,” Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told France Inter radio.

Source

:

Al Jazeera and quality agencies