Off to Europe: Trump to meet worried NATO heads, then Putin

In this May 25, 2017 file photo, US President Donald Trump jokes with British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson as British Prime Minister Theresa May walks past during a working dinner meeting at the NATO headquarters during a NATO summit of heads of state and government in Brussels.  AP

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s weeklong trip to Europe will test already strained bonds with some of the United States’ closest allies.
And it will put him face to face with the leader of the country whose electoral interference was meant to help put him in office.

Trump departs Tuesday on a four-nation tour amid simmering disputes over trade and military spending with fellow Western democracies and speculation about whether he will rebuke or embrace Russian President Vladimir Putin.

He meets the Russian leader in Helsinki at the finale of a trip with earlier stops in Belgium, England and Scotland.

On this trip, after meeting with NATO leaders in Brussels, he’ll travel to the United Kingdom, where widespread protests are expected, before heading to one of his Scottish golf resorts for the weekend. /ee