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Trump arrives for his first ever talks with EU Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker, who will argue for the benefits of open trade and the Paris climate agreement. IMAGES Video provided by AFP Newslook

President Trump and European Council President Donald Tusk(Photo: OLIVIER HOSLET, EPA)

BRUSSELS As President Trump met with European leaders on Thursday, he couldn't escape the Russia controversy dogging him at home and now abroad.

The White House is grapplingwith multipleinvestigations into Russia's interference in last year's presidential election, including an FBI probe into possiblecollusion between Trump's campaign and Moscow. Still, Trump has openly sought warmer relations with Russia and just this month welcomed top diplomats to a controversialOval Office meeting in which he reportedly disclosed highly classified information in an apparent attempt to get Moscow to step up its fight against the Islamic State.

Yet in Brussels, home of the NATO and European Union headquarters, EUleaders publicly broke with Trump's more positive diplomatic approach to President Vladimir Putin's government.

"I am not 100%sure that we can say today ... that we have a common position, common opinion, about Russia," said European Council President Donald Tusk after meeting with Trump. Tusk added that both parties remain critical ofRussia's military incursions into neighboring Ukraine.

Tusk also said "some issues remain open" with Trump, including climate change and trade policy.

Trump's meeting withTusk, who presides over the European Council, and Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission, preceded talks with leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

The Brussels stop came in the middle of Trump's first foreign trip as president, one that began with visits to Saudi Arabia, Israel, and Rome. Trump is spending nine days away from Washington, which is still reeling from a spate of recent revelations related to Trump's links to Russia.

Trump's first foreign trip as president came a week after the Justice Department appointed a special counsel to look into possible ties between Trump campaign associates and Russians who sought to influencethe 2016 presidential campaign. The U.S. intelligence community has accused Moscow of orchestrating a high-level campaign of cyberattacks, propagandaand fake news to try and influence the 2016 election, though the president and his aides have denied any collusion.

Still, EU members have long questionedTrump's warm comments toward Putin, who has backed many anti-EU candidates in elections throughout the continent. And countries such as France, Germany, and the United Kingdom have expressed concerns about similar Russian hacking and disinformation campaignsto undermine elections in their countries.

Trump's lean towards Russia was on full displayone day after firing his FBI director, when Trump took an Oval Office meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and SergeyKisylak,the Russian ambassador to the U.S. on May 10.The Washington Post subsequentlyrevealed Trump divulgedhighly classified intelligence in that meeting about aterror plot, in a way the Russians could have deduced secret sources and methods.

This is notable not just because it potentially compromised a source of intelligence on the Islamic State believed to be Israel but because Russia has also backed Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, whomthe U.S. and European countries accuseofwidespread killing civilians and opponents in the name of fighting terrorism.

Trump also unnerved European Union leaders by supporting last year's "Brexit" vote in which the United Kingdom opted to exit the EU. Trump, who met with new president of France, Emmanuel Macronalso had kind words for defeated French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen, another EU opponent.

While Trump said better American relations with Russia would benefit all nations, he has also opposed Putin on occasion. The Trump administration supported Montenegro's admission to NATO, an addition Russia opposed. The president has made no move to lift sanctions on Russia over its activities in Ukraine.

Trump ends his journey this weekend at a Group of Seven industrial nations summit on the Italian island of Sicily. Trump is expected to air his concerns about what he calls unfair trade policies by other nations and the Paris climate change pact that obligates the United States to reduce greenhouse gas emissions two other issues on which the president and European Union leaders disagree.

The Trump-EU meeting did have its lighter moments, including the fact that complex European Union rules require the naming of two presidents: Tusk, who presides over the European Council, and Juncker, president of the European Commission.

Do you know, Mr President, we have two presidents in the EU, Tusk told Trump, who responded: I know that."

Juncker chimed in by by joking, "there is one too much."

Later, when asked his impressions of Trump, Juncker simply said, "I hope he hasn't sent a tweet about me yet."

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He wants the Russians insteadthey dont ask questions.

President Vladimir Putin had Russia roll out the red carpet for Philippine President Rodrigo Dutertes arrival on Monday. A five-day tour of Russia was planned, and hints of military alliances and weapons sales have already made headlines.

I dont want anything to do with the U.S., and I want them to stop telling me what to do. Ive never been to their country, and when they invited me to [President] Trumps inauguration I declined, because I was planning to visit Russia, Duterte told Russian news outlets before the visit.

America, since the end of the 1960s, has been interfering in other states. They offer a country help but demand in exchange that the country adopt certain laws, for example legalize gay marriages, he added.

Its this type of moral interventionism which has Duterte sick of his countrys alliance with the U.S. Constantly criticized for his (extrajudicial and brutal) war on the sickening drug problem in the Philippines, as well as being refused the sale of thousands of rifles to Philippine police, Duterte would love another stable option.

I remember what the Russian diplomat said: Come to Russia, we all have here anything you need, Duterte told cnn Philippines in November 2016.

Duterte is currently diverting resources to the fight against Muslim terrorists in the southern Philippine islands. Hes already threatened to invade the island holding the prominent Abu Sayyaf terrorists, told citizens to arm themselves and to kill terrorists, and said he can be 50 times as brutal as the militant animals.

Duterte told a crowd of laughing Filipinos in April that if he was in a foul mood and was presented with a terrorist, hed say, Give me salt and vinegar, and Ill eat his liver.

In fact, only a day into Dutertes Russia trip, he flew back to the Philippines and declared martial law in the south amidst shootouts between police and terrorists.

No matter how much the Philippines has absorbed American culture, everyday realities put a wide gulf between the two countries. The problems of the Philippines are not the problems of the United States. Rodrigo Duterte knows this and wants a partner willing to go along with his plansthe fewer questions asked, the better.

In looking east to China and Russia, Duterte sees the partners he wants.

Russia sells weapons, no conditions. With the U.S., its a different story. They make conditions. But Im not gonna stand on bended knees, Duterte told Russian media before he left. If my country collapses, who will bring it back? The U.S? We need weapons.

Even with President Trumps more positive stance toward Dutertes war on drugs (Duterte previously told President Barack Obama to go to hell after his criticisms), he still wants to shift away from America. I have nothing against America, Trump is my friend. But my foreign policy has shifted. I want to deal with China and Russia. Because in Western world, its double talk, he told Russia Today, Russias government-controlled media conglomerate.

America is double-talk. The left hand does not know what the right hand is doing. So there will always be a problem; there will always be misconceptions and probably a dislike, if not hatred, for one another, Duterte said according to Sputnik, another Russian government-controlled news organization.

This shift in alliances matters to the Trumpet because we watch for the prophesied rise of a powerful eastern bloc to challenge the supremacy of the U.S. These eastern kings, or authoritarian leaders, of Russia and China will be joined by a number of other nations. The Trumpet has indicated previously that the Philippines may be part of this group. (Read our booklet Russia and China in Prophecy for more information.) President Dutertes actions should teach the West that a powerful leader can easily change the preferences of a nation that has historically looked to the U.S. for assistance. This in spite of most Filipinos maintaining a favorable view of America.

When it comes to the military sphere, the current situation in the world is reaching a critical state, and I cant rule out military alliances, Duterte told Russian media, adding that China and Russia were the only two countries he believed to be reliable.

The other reason we watch Dutertes moves to wrench the Philippines away from America is further proof of the fulfillment of Americas decline. Allies who refuse to cooperate, losing ground in the South China Sea, destruction of international credibility, and internal divisions are only the beginning. (Even Duterte said the United States would one day collapse because of conflicting values and agenda originating in its multi-racial character.)

When Duterte runs his mouth and the Western world scoffs at his stupidity or dictator worship, he is actually revealing a powerful truth that everyone else is beginning to realize: On the scales of world power, the United States is descending while the counterbalance of the Russia-China alliance rises.

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Finalizing the European Union Military Headquarters - theTrumpet.com

Trump, EU Leaders Air Competing Visions in Brussels Meeting Wall Street Journal (subscription) BRUSSELSU.S. President Donald Trump held his first meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and senior European Union leaders on Thursday here, the capital of a bloc whose future he has questioned and whose opponents he has feted.

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Trump, EU Leaders Air Competing Visions in Brussels Meeting - Wall Street Journal (subscription)

JUBA The European Commission has reaffirmed its commitment to saving the lives of conflict-affected people in South Sudan with a US$ 12.9 (11.9) million contribution to the emergency operation of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). This is in addition to the US$ 32 (30.4) million contribution that was already confirmed for 2017

The contribution from the European Commissions Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO) for WFP South Sudan will provide emergency food and nutrition assistance to about 890,000 people facing hunger as a result of conflict and seasonal food insecurity, including an estimated 165,000 children under the age of five and pregnant and breastfeeding women. WFP is purchasing about 4,000 metric tons of cereals, 500 metric tons of beans, 800 metric tons of oil and 1,000 metric tons of the specialized nutritious food (CSB++) using this donation.

An additional US$ 5.4 million is being provided by the European Commission to support the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) and Logistics Cluster, which are managed by WFP on behalf of the humanitarian community to facilitate access to affected people.

This support is vital to our ongoing efforts to respond to the unprecedented levels of hunger in South Sudan this year, said Joyce Luma, WFP Representative and Country Director in South Sudan. The country needs continued international support which, combined with unimpeded access to the affected population, will help prevent the unfolding catastrophe from expanding further.

South Sudan is experiencing the worst levels of food insecurity since independence with up to 5.5 million people facing severe hunger. In February 2017, famine was declared in parts of former Unity State, in Leer and Mayendit counties, affecting about 100,000 people. However, the timely and adequate provision of humanitarian assistance in recent months has had a positive impact and the food security situation in these areas appears to have improved. The food security situation in the rest of the country, however, has deteriorated further, particularly in parts of Northern and Western Bahr el Ghazal, Upper Nile and Jonglei States, due to continued displacement. Acute malnutrition rates have already reached alarming levels in some areas. This situation will be compounded further during the lean season as families will have run out of their food reserves from the last harvest.

We are extremely grateful for the generous contribution from the European Commission, which has been consistent in responding to the needs of the most vulnerable people in South Sudan, Luma added.

In 2016, the European Commission made a contribution of US$ 22.6 million which enabled WFP to provide food assistance to 300,000 internally displaced people hosted in UN Protection of Civilians (PoC) sites and other locations in conflicted-affected areas as well as local people affected by three years of conflict and prolonged food shortages in South Sudan. Besides this, 84,000 young children and 35,000 pregnant and nursing mothers received specialized nutritious food. Furthermore, another US$ 5 million contribution by the European Commission was focused on the UN Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) and Logistics Cluster.

Since the start of this year, WFP has provided food and nutrition assistance to 2.8 million people across South Sudan and expects to reach 4.1 million people by the end of the year.

Support from donors including the European Commission, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Faroe Islands, Finland, Germany, Japan, Lithuania, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, as well as private donors, has been vital for the response so far. However, WFP urgently needs US$ 139 million to cover its operations for the next six months.

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European Union Contributes To WFP's Life-Saving Work In South Sudan - ReliefWeb

By Gabriela Baczynska BRUSSELS (Reuters) Top European Union officials meeting Donald Trump for the first time on Thursday will push cooperation on global trade and fighting climate change as they try to show that the bloc should matter to the United States. But Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker, who run the EUs main political institutions in Brussels, expect a less fraught encounter than they might have done a few months ago when Trump was praising Britain for its shock decision to quit the EU and forecasting other countries would follow suit. Not only do EU officials believe Trump has heard other, more positive assessments of the EUs value to Washington since he took office in January, but the failure of anti-EU nationalists in recent Dutch and French elections had bolstered the bloc. Since the first contacts much has changed in the EU, a senior EU official said on Wednesday, referring to unpromising and brief discussions with Trump early in the year. After the Dutch and the French elections we are in a completely different place in the EU and I think this is the starting point of this discussion. In January, Tusk referred to Trump as a threat to the world order alongside Russia, China and radical Islam. The EU will again press the new president, on his first trip abroad, not to roll back on transatlantic efforts to promote free trade or on U.S. commitments to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

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