United States President Donald Trump has launched a verbal  attack on French President, Emmanuel Macron for what the former described as “very nasty” comments on NATO but the French leader has said he stands by the remarks.

Trump spoke in advance of a NATO summit  in London yesterday marking 70 years of the military alliance.

Trump said: “I think that’s insulting to a lot of different forces.  You just can’t go around making statements like that about NATO. It’s very disrespectful.”

Trump later met Macron at Winfield House. Macron said that he stood by his assessment of the health of the alliance and lamented the US decision to withdraw troops from northern Syria in October.