Barack Obama to reassure US allies about Donald Trump's commitment to NATO
Updated
US President Barack Obama will reassure US allies during his trip overseas this week that Republican President-elect Donald Trump plans to maintain core US strategic relationships around the world, including with NATO.
Key points:
- Barack Obama says the President-elect indicated he was committed to maintaining ties with US allies
- Mr Obama will visit Greece, Germany and Peru on his last trip overseas as president
- He says US foreign policy remained quite stable despite changes in administration
Speaking ahead of a trip to Europe and Latin America, Mr Obama said one of the most important things he could do during his visit was to reassure US allies who may be concerned following Mr Trump's victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton last week.
Mr Trump slammed NATO allies during the campaign for not paying enough for their own defence and suggested the US was paying a disproportionate amount that was too much given the changes in the world.
He also told the Washington Post the United States could not fund NATO at current levels.
Mr Trump's comments echoed longstanding US complaints that too many NATO allies do not live up to their pledge to spend 2 per cent of gross domestic product on defence.
Only the US and four other NATO allies — Greece, Britain, Estonia and Poland — met the goal last year. France and Turkey have been close.
Despite Mr Trump's criticism of NATO spending during the campaign, Mr Obama said the President-elect, who takes office on January 20, had indicated he was committed to maintaining ties with US allies.
"In my conversation with the President-elect, he expressed a great interest in maintaining our core strategic relationships," Mr Obama said in his first news conference since last week's presidential election.
"So one of the messages I will be able to deliver is his commitment to NATO and the trans-Atlantic alliance.
"One of the most important functions that I can serve at this stage … is to let them know that there is no weakening of resolve when it comes to America's commitment to maintaining a strong and robust NATO relationship and a recognition that those alliances aren't just good for Europe, they're good for the United States and they're vital for the world."
The European Union agreed on a new defence plan, which could see it sending rapid response forces abroad for the first time — a move seen as giving it the ability to act without the United States if necessary.
The action appeared to be galvanized in part by Mr Trump's criticism.
Trump to get wake-up call, Obama says
In a news conference at the White House, Mr Obama said Mr Trump was in for a quick wake-up call, and would have to adjust his temperament when he confronted the realities of his new job.
Mr Obama said Mr Trump could not be as outspoken as he was during the long and bitter campaign that ended last week with the Republican's surprise win over Mrs Clinton.
"This office has a way of waking you up," Mr Obama said.
"Those aspects of his positions or predispositions that don't match up with reality, he will find shaken up pretty quick because reality has a way of asserting itself.
"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 United States. Everybody around the world is paying attention. Markets move."
US to continue 'maintaining order' around the world
Mr Obama is visiting Greece, Germany and Peru on his 52nd and last trip abroad as president.
He is expected to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other European leaders in Germany and Greece before heading to Peru, where he will see Chinese President Xi Jinping and other Pacific leaders at an economic summit.
Mr Obama said US foreign policy remained quite stable despite changes in administration, in part because of the breadth of US Government interactions with other nations.
"There is enormous continuity beneath the day-to-day news that makes us that indispensable nation when it comes to maintaining order and promoting prosperity around the world," Mr Obama said.
"That will continue."
Mr Obama also said it was important for Mr Trump to send signals of unity after a bitterly-fought US election campaign.
He said he privately told Mr Trump in an Oval Office meeting last week that because of the "bitterness and the ferocity of the campaign … it's really important to try to send some signals of unity and to reach out to minority groups, to women and others that were concerned about the tenor of the campaign".
He also declined to comment on Mr Trump's selection of conservative provocateur Steve Bannon as his White House chief strategist.
Democrats, civil rights groups and even some Republicans have slammed Mr Trump for choosing the right-wing firebrand as a key aide, saying it would elevate the white nationalist movement into the top levels of the White House.
ABC/Reuters
Topics: us-elections, world-politics, government-and-politics, obama-barack, united-states
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