Macron's proposal for EU army 'very insulting': Trump
Washington, Nov 10 : US President Donald Trump Saturday said the suggestion of his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that Europe should build its own army was "very insulting", asserting that Europe should first pay its "fair share" to NATO.
Trump slammed Macron in a tweet, moments after he landed in Paris for a weekend trip to commemorate Armistice Day and attend the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, which is being attended by several world leaders, including India's Vice President Venkaiah Naidu.
"President Macron of France has just suggested that Europe build its own military in order to protect itself from the U.S., China and Russia. Very insulting, but perhaps Europe should first pay its fair share of NATO, which the U.S. subsidizes greatly!" he said in a tweet.
Early this week, Macron had pushed for a "true European Army" that would address the threat posed by countries like Russia and China.
"We have to protect ourselves with respect to China, Russia and even the United States of America," he told French Radio Station One.
"Who is the main victim? Europe and its security. I want to build a real security dialogue with Russia, which is a country I respect, a European country but we must have a Europe that can defend itself on its own without relying only on the United States," Macron said.
Trump's tweet just after landing in Paris that was highly critical of Macron is expected to strain the US-French relationship. Early this year, Trump had hosted Macron on the first State Dinner of his Administration.
Trump and Macron are schedule to have bilateral meeting during his stay in France.
Earlier leaving for Paris, the US President told reporters at the White House that it will be a "great, really, commemorative service". "I think it's going to be something very special. I've seen what they have planned, and I think it's going to be something very, very special," he said.
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Telangana CM urges Amit Shah to increase sanctioned strength of IPS officers in state
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.
The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.
"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.
Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.
He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.
Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.
The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.
Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.
He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.
