Emmanuel Macron rubbishes Donald Trump's increased Nato spending claim
Donald Trump's claim that Nato allies have agreed to increase defence spending has been rubbished by Emmanuel Macron.
The US president praised himself as a "very stable genius" after allegedly convincing members to boost contributions beyond 2% of GDP.
During a press conference on Wednesday, President Trump appeared pleased to have secured the extra cash after years of the burden falling on America.
But just minutes later, the French president poured scorn on the claim.
President Macron said: "There is a communique that was published yesterday. It's very detailed.
"It confirms the goal of 2% by 2024. That's all."
The alleged extra money appeared to have swayed President Trump from carrying out his threat of leaving the Nato alliance.
He said that it had now become "unnecessary" to withdraw from the organisation.
"The United States' commitment to Nato remains very strong," President Trump said.
He added that Nato was "probably the greatest" but the US had been paying between 70-90% towards it.
Speaking in Brussels, he told reporters: "Yesterday, I let them know I was extremely unhappy with what was happening and they have substantially upped their commitment."
Nato was now "much stronger than it was two days ago", he said.
"I believe in Nato," he added.