The 2019 London Summit of the

North Atlantic Treaty Organization The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

(NATO) was the 30th formal meeting of the

heads of state A head of state (or chief of state) is the public persona who officially embodies a state Foakes, pp. 110–11 "he head of statebeing an embodiment of the State itself or representatitve of its international persona." in its unity and le ...

and

heads of government The head of government is the highest or the second-highest official in the executive branch of a sovereign state, a federated state, or a self-governing colony, autonomous region, or other government who often presides over a cabinet, a gro ...

of the

. It was held in The Grove, Watford, Hertfordshire, England, United Kingdom, on 3 and 4 December 2019. It also marked the 70th anniversary of the founding of NATO.

Leaders and other dignitaries in attendance

Member states

Non-member states and organisations

Controversies

U.S. President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

said French President

Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France since 2017. ''Ex officio'', he is also one of the two Co-Princes of Andorra. Prior to his presidency, Macron served as Minister of Econ ...

's November comment that NATO was in a state of "brain death" for its reaction to the

2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria The 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria, code-named Operation Peace Spring ( tr, Barış Pınarı Harekâtı) by Turkey, was a cross-border military operation conducted by the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) and the Syrian National Ar ...

was "very, very nasty." Macron stands by NATO 'brain death' comment in clash with Trump
Al Jazeera. Retrieved 4 December 2019 The two leaders disagreed about terrorism, trade, and France's contributions to NATO's budget. Trump mentioned the possibility of France "breaking off" from NATO, although Macron made no such suggestion.Trump and Macron clash as Nato leaders gather
Michael Peel and Laura Pitel, ''Financial Times'', 4 December 2019 Trump and British Prime Minister

Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...

did not meet because Johnson was concerned about Trump's possible interference with the 12 December UK general election.NATO summit: Trump calls Trudeau 'two-faced' over gossip video
Sky News, 4 December 2019 While meeting with Canadian Prime Minister

Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since 2 ...

, Trump complained that Canada is "slightly delinquent" in its contribution to NATO because it pays less than 2% of its GDP on the

military A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...

.World leaders appear to mock Trump during tense NATO summit
CBS News, 4 December 2019 The two leaders had a friendly discussion about the

United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement The Agreement between the United States of America, the United Mexican States, and Canada (USMCA) Commonly known as the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) in the United States and the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement (CU ...

. Later, during a reception at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ...

, Trudeau, Johnson, Macron, and Dutch Prime Minister

Mark Rutte Mark Rutte (; born 14 February 1967) is a Dutch politician who has served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands since 2010 and Leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) since 2006. After a business career working for Unilever ...

seemed to mock Trump because of a 45-minute press conference. In turn, Trump called Trudeau, "two-faced," referencing Canada's military spending. Turkish President

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician serving as the List of presidents of Turkey, 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as prime minister of Turkey from 2003 to 2014 and as Lis ...

insisted that NATO members formally recognize the Kurdish YPG as a terrorist organization.Turkey to oppose NATO plan if it fails to recognize terrorism threats: Erdogan
Reuters World News, 3 December 2019 Erdoğan and Greek Prime Minister

Kyriakos Mitsotakis Kyriakos Mitsotakis ( el, Κυριάκος Μητσοτάκης, ; born 4 March 1968) is a Greek politician serving as the prime minister of Greece since 8 July 2019. A member of the New Democracy (Greece), New Democracy, he has been its presi ...

also met to discuss a contentious maritime agreement signed between Turkey and Libya for the definition of maritime zones in the

Eastern Mediterranean Eastern Mediterranean is a loose definition of the eastern approximate half, or third, of the Mediterranean Sea, often defined as the countries around the Levantine Sea. It typically embraces all of that sea's coastal zones, referring to communi ...

.Mitsotakis-Erdogan meeting on Wed. in London
Naftemporiki, 3 December 2019

Other

Due to its political crisis, Spain was the last country left to approve North Macedonia's NATO membership; nonetheless,

North Macedonia North Macedonia, ; sq, Maqedonia e Veriut, (Macedonia before February 2019), officially the Republic of North Macedonia,, is a country in Southeast Europe. It gained independence in 1991 as one of the successor states of Socialist Feder ...

was given a seat at the summit alongside other members and represented by a delegation headed by Prime Minister Zoran Zaev. On 26 November 2019, an earthquake struck Albania. At the NATO London summit, constructive discussions were held by Albanian Prime Minister

Edi Rama Edi Rama (born Edvin Kristaq Rama, 4 July 1964) is an Albanian politician, painter, writer, former university lecturer, publicist and former basketball player, who has served as the 33rd and current Prime Minister of Albania since 2013 and chairm ...

with Macron, Trump, Trudeau, Johnson and other European leaders over establishing an international conference for financial aid.

References

{{NATO summits 2019 conferences 2019 in British politics 2019 in England 2019 in international relations 2010s in Hertfordshire 21st-century diplomatic conferences December 2019 events in the United Kingdom Diplomatic conferences in the United Kingdom Events in England History of Watford NATO summits United Kingdom and NATO