The prime minister will break off from campaigning to host the gathering marking NATO’s 70th anniversary.
NATO leaders attending the summit in Watford, NATO summits are a periodic opportunity for Heads of State and Heads of Government to meet and evaluate NATO’s current strategies, evaluate the alliance’s current position and brainstorm strategic direction.
With 29 states part NATO taking place on Wednesday 4 December before the summit the leaders will also attend a dinner held by the Queen at Buckingham Place tonight. Today smaller meeting have been taken place between some of the members.
Starting the day off early was US President Donald Trump who said wanted “absolutely nothing to do with” the NHS, when asked if it would form any part of future trade talks. He said he wouldn’t touch it even if it was handed to his administration “on a silver platter”, adding: “Never even thought about it, honestly.
He also said he was “a very easy person to work with” when asked about Jeremy Corbyn.
While Trump like many times before is expected to make many unexpected comments throughout his stay in London, the real tension is a face-off between France and Turkey after the war of words taken place before the summit.
The talks take place amid a bitter dispute between French President Emmanuel Macron and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan over Turkey’s recent operation in northern Syria.
Macron infuriated Ankara when he suggested NATO was suffering from “brain death” over the lack of coordination after Turkey’s ‘crazy attack on the Kurds’, seen as a key Western ally in the fight against the ISIL (ISIS) group.
The Turkish president, who has called for support by Nato leaders over the Turkish military offensive in Syria, hitting back, accusing Macron of “a sick and shallow understanding” of terrorism, suggesting he was the one who was “brain dead”.
Johnson is expected to try to play peacemaker on today (3 December) when he hosts the two leaders, together with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, for talks in his official residence before the main gathering.
The prime minister’s official spokesman said: “The PM’s position is that NATO is the most enduring and successful alliance in military history and that it continues to adapt to the evolving threats that we face.
“It is the cornerstone of Euro-Atlantic security and it helps to keep a billion people safe.
“The PM will emphasise that all members must be united behind shared priorities so NATO can adapt to the challenges ahead.
