Leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato), the US-led military alliance in Europe, claim that their security bonds remain as strong as ever, after their summit this week.

Despite a noisy meeting at which US President Donald Trump sharply criticised Nato's European member states for not paying their fair share of the military expenses, the fact remains that the final communique released at the end of the meeting reiterates America's defence commitment to the European continent. "We continue to respond to the deteriorated security environment by enhancing our deterrence and defence posture," pledged the leaders of the 29 member states.