Trump claims NATO victory after ultimatum to go it alone

U.S. President Donald Trump arrives for a dinner at the Parc du Cinquantenaire during the NATO Summit in Brussels, Belgium July 11, 2018. Geert Vanden Wijngaert/Pool via REUTERS

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Donald Trump gave an angry ultimatum to European allies on Thursday, warning a NATO summit the United States could withdraw its support and sparking crisis talks which the U.S. president said produced big new defence spending pledges.

Other leaders, however, played down the extent to which they went beyond existing commitments to increase contributions to their own defence, as Trump demanded they share more of what he calls an unfair burden on U.S. taxpayers in funding an alliance focused on discouraging pressure from a resurgent Moscow.