Sen. Jeff Flake said Sunday he — and European allies — are worried about what “might be promised” at an upcoming meeting between President Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin this month.
In remarks on CNN’s “State of the Union,” the Arizona Republican — a frequent critic of Trump — said NATO allies are already are concerned about Trump’s “rhetoric.”
“Many of us are concerned — I certainly am — about the president's ongoing rhetoric that really demeans or ridicules our allies and praises our adversaries,” Flake said.
But he added: “I'm glad that the president is talking to Vladimir Putin. I'm glad that he's talking to North Korea, as well. But I am concerned and I know there is concern across Europe about what might be promised.”
Flake mentioned in particular the controversial decision by Trump to suspend military exercises in South Korea after Trump’s meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un — “or a commitment to remove troops from certain countries.”
“Those kind of things would concern and do concern our NATO allies significantly,” Flake said.
Flake also said though he supports getting tough with China, he thinks the United States shouldn’t be on its own in that approach.
“We need to stick with our European allies, those in the EU, to challenge China,” he said. “We can do that through the [World Trade Organization]. When we take cases to the WTO, we win about 90 percent of them. But if we split with our friends and our allies, then we'll not be able to confront the real problem here, and that is China in terms of trade.
“Nobody in Europe can understand why in the world the president would pick fights with his allies here with those who need to be with us when we confront China,” he added.
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