Trump heads to UK for NATO summit
Trump has criticized NATO members for not contributing enough money toward defense
President Trump will travel to the United Kingdom on Monday for the NATO summit in London this week.
The president is expected to attend a working breakfast with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, a meeting with French President Emanuel Macron and a NATO leaders reception hosted by Queen Elizabeth.
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On Wednesday, Trump will take part in an official NATO welcome ceremony, then meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Next, he'll have a working lunch with representatives from Estonia, Greece, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Lithuania, Bulgaria and the U.K.
Trump may have additional bilateral meetings with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte.
President Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel pose during a family photo at the Greek Theatre during a G7 summit in Taormina, Sicily, Italy, May 26, 2017. (REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst)
There are 29 members of the military alliance, many of whom Trump has criticized for not contributing enough money toward defense.
"Europe has to pay their fair share for Military Protection," the president wrote on Twitter last week. "The European Union, for many years, has taken advantage of us on Trade, and then they don’t live up to their Military commitment through NATO. Things must change fast!"
This is a tense time for NATO, especially in the wake of the United States' decision to withdraw troops from northeast Syria.
Earlier this month, Macron claimed America's actions in the region were contributing to the "brain death" of the alliance.
"What we are currently experiencing is the brain death of NATO," Macron told The Economist.
He said the U.S. appears to be "turning its back on us."
French President Emmanuel Macron poses before a special address to the nation, his first public comments after four weeks of nationwide "yellow vest" protests, at the Elysee Palace, in Paris, Monday, Dec. 10, 2018. (Ludovic Marin/Pool Photo via AP)
"So as soon as you have a member who feels they have a right to head off on their own, granted by the United States of America, they do it," Macron had said, referring to Turkey's military offensive into Syria following the troop withdrawal. "And that's what happened."
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Merkel and Stoltenberg quickly rejected Macron's remarks.
Merkel, calling the comments "drastic words," said: "That is not my view of cooperation in NATO and I think that such a sweeping blow is not necessary, even if we do have problems, even if we must pull together."
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Fox News' Melissa Leon and Greg Norman and The Associated Press contributed to this report.