NEWSWATCH: “Snapshot Analysis: Trump, NATO, Russia” – Russia Matters/ Nikolas K. Gvosdev
“As predicted … #Trump’s summit with other #NATO leaders … showed a White House focused on meeting its treaty commitments … also determined to see its partners take on primary responsibility for countering threats that affect them, particularly in their own neighborhood. For #Russia, Trump’s public comments sounded like a mixed bag: … the president called Moscow a ‘threat’ and expressed no interest in bringing it closer to the alliance; … he [also] made it clear that NATO needs to focus less on its eastern flank and more on the unconventional non-state threats coming from the south, which Russia would likely prefer. And … Trump’s day in Brussels served as an important reminder of America’s system of checks and balances: Whatever Trump personally may feel about Article 5 or U.S. guarantees of European security, there are lawmakers and national security officials who will also have considerable say on these matters. * * * … European Council President Donald #Tusk, who has taken a relatively hardline position on Russia, said … he was not sure ‘we have a common position, common opinion about Russia.’ Recent reports of Trump’s stance on the Western sanctions against Russia have been far from definitive, with one of his economic advisors saying this week ‘I think the president is looking at it. … ‘”