President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May will sit down today in the Oval Office to discuss and search for unity on NATO, Russia, and trade. This meeting will mark Trump’s first with a foreign leader since taking power a week ago. May gained power in July after the “Brexit” vote that has put her country on a path to separate from the European Union.
Trump has declared NATO obsolete and seems to be expressing the need for warmer ties with Russia to help fight Islamic State militants. May said Western leaders should “engage but beware” of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
May considers NATO crucial and is skeptical of Russian President Vladimir Putin. “America’s leadership role in NATO, supported by Britian, must be the central element around which the alliance is built,” May said. But, the EU nations “must step up” to ensure NATO remains the cornerstone of the West’s defense, she said.
Both Trump and May reportedly wish to begin work on a bilateral trade agreement, which for May would provide stability amid the Brexit breakup and would support Trump’s goal that he can negotiate one-on-one trade pacts.
The meeting is expected to conclude with a joint White House news conference this afternoon.
