Show caption The phone call between Trump and May comes amid strained US-UK relations over his tweet that Nigel Farage should be British ambassador to Washington. Photograph: PA Nato Trump and May ‘agree on importance of Nato’ in second phone call Exchange between US president-elect and PM seen as significant after his scepticism about alliance during election campaign Rowena Mason Deputy political editor Tue 29 Nov 2016 13.33 EST Share on Facebook

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Donald Trump and Theresa May have “agreed on the importance” of Nato as they spoke on the phone for the second time since the US election, according to Downing Street.

May called Trump on Monday afternoon in an effort to “establish a regular dialogue” with the Republican US president-elect before he takes office in January.

No 10 said the pair also agreed to meet at the earliest possible opportunity. It comes after a previous phone call in which Trump is alleged to have taken a casual approach to the idea of a visit from May, suggesting: “If you travel to the US you should let me know.”

“They discussed how the president-elect’s transition plans were progressing and agreed that their teams should continue to build close relationships through this period, including with a meeting of their national security advisers in the United States before Christmas,” Downing Street said.

“They discussed Nato, agreeing on the importance of the alliance, the need for more Nato members to meet the target of spending 2% of GDP and the role that Nato can play in addressing diverse threats. They agreed to stay in close touch and to meet at the earliest possible opportunity.”

The exchange is likely to be regarded as significant given Trump’s scepticism about Nato during the US election campaign, which he has since partially backtracked on.

The phone call comes against a backdrop of strained relations with the UK after Trump tweeted that he thought May’s political rival Nigel Farage should be appointed the British ambassador to Washington.

Trump’s friendliness with the former Ukip leader has been interpreted as a humiliating snub to May, who was only 11th on the list of world leaders to receive a call after his victory.



In contrast, Farage was the first foreign politician to get a meeting with Trump, who posed with the Ukip politician and his entourage in a golden lift.

Since then, Downing Street appears to have stepped up efforts to engage with Trump’s team, confirming that the Queen was considering whether to invite him for a state visit.