President Donald Trump launched a week-long Europe trip today with harsh criticism for NATO allies and predicted the "easiest" leg of his journey would be his scheduled sit-down with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
As he departed the White House for a four-nation European tour, Trump did little to reassure allies fretting over the risk of damage he could do to the 69-year-old trans-Atlantic mutual defense pact and his potential embrace of Putin during a summit in Helsinki.
Trump said today he "can't say right now" if Putin is a friend or foe, but called him a "competitor". The US intelligence community has concluded that Russia interfered in the 2016 election to boost Trump's candidacy, and warns of further attempts at interference both in the 2018 mid terms and in European elections.
Speaking to reporters before leaving Washington for Brussels, where he is to attend the NATO summit, Trump criticised the pact, saying, "Frankly it helps them a lot more than it helps us."
"Getting ready to leave for Europe. First meeting NATO. The US is spending many times more than any other country in order to protect them," Trump tweeted today morning, adding: "Not fair to the US taxpayer. On top of that we lose USD 151 Billion on Trade with the European Union. Charge us big Tariffs (& Barriers)!"