Macron looks on awkwardly as Donald Trump attacks Nato members after moment of silence for Manchester

Only five of twenty-eight countries pay their full share of Nato costs

Given that he was reprimanding them and demanding they pay more towards Nato’s costs, it was perhaps not surprising European leaders gathered in Brussels did not appear delighted by Donald Trump’s rebuke.

Indeed, as the US President drew attention to a situation he said he was unfair to American tax-payers - and also declined to explicitly endorse its mutual defence agreement, the so-called Article 5 commitment - leaders such as Germany’s Angela and French President Emmanuel Macron looked on in awkward silence. At one point, Mr Macron appeared to grimace.

“Twenty-three of the 28 member nations are still not paying what they should be paying and what they are supposed to be paying for their defence. This is not fair to the people and taxpayers of the United States,” he said.

“This is not fair to the people and taxpayers of the United States. If Nato countries made their full and complete contributions, then Nato would be even stronger than it is today, especially from the threat of terrorism.”

Mr Trump - along with US presidents before him - has long been critical of what he calls a shortfall in the contribution of Nato members. He even once called the alliance “obsolete” and has even suggested that America’s willingness to come to the aid of its members was dependent on them paying more.

The Associated Press said the 28 member nations, plus soon-to-join Montenegro, will renew an old vow to move toward spending two per cent of their gross domestic product on defence by 2024. Only five members currently meet the target: Britain, Estonia, Greece, Poland and the United States, which spends more on defence than all the other allies combined.