BRUSSELS (Reuters) – NATO leaders hold their first summit with U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday, aiming to repair transatlantic ties after his predecessor Donald Trump said the Western military alliance was “obsolete”.
Here are some of the decisions leaders are set to take in Brussels:
* Biden is expected to recommit the United States to the collective defence of the 30 allies in NATO after Trump questioned its relevance and suggested in 2018 that Washington withdraw its membership.
* The 30 leaders will also seek to show that the political, military, cultural and economic ties of the transatlantic alliance are again on a solid footing after Trump and also after French President Emmanuel Macron vented his frustration over what he said was a lack of strategic thinking in NATO.
* NATO leaders will approve strategic proposals, known as NATO 2030, by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg to reform the alliance. These include: more political consultations in a post-Cold War, multipolar world; an updated master planning document, which is to include China’s rise for the first time; and focusing on emerging, disruptive technologies.
* Leaders will recommit to a pledge to spend at least 2% of their economic output on defence by 2024. As part of NATO’s 2030 reform programme, they may also agree to consider an increase in their joint funding through NATO, although France is wary.
* NATO leaders will adopt a climate change action plan that will seek to make militaries carbon-neutral by 2050 and to prepare troops for operating in more extreme environments.
* NATO leaders are expected to recommit to supporting Afghanistan, even as Western countries pull out after almost two decades of war. Leaders are expected discuss how to maintain training outside of Afghanistan, possibly in central Asia and the Gulf.
(Reporting by Robin Emmott; Editing by Giles Elgood)
