France Expects Support From Trump on European Defense Spending

(Bloomberg) -- French President Emmanuel Macron expects support from Donald Trump over his calls for Europe to beef up its defense capabilities, an official in Paris said.

Macron sees a convergence of interests with the U.S. president, who has been calling for the European Union to take on more of the financial burden within NATO, the official said. NATO leaders will gather in London for a two-day summit starting Tuesday next week.

With France pushing its EU partners to consider a detente with Russia, the official insisted that no one in NATO is opposed to the idea of dialogue with the Kremlin.

The official also condemned Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who on Friday called Macron “brain dead” for his criticisms of NATO.

To contact the reporter on this story: Geraldine Amiel in Paris at gamiel@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Ben Sills at bsills@bloomberg.net, James Regan

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