i. cities across croatia erupt in celebration as the national team reach their first ever world cup final after defeating england. birches nato members to ramp up their military spending at a tense summit in brussels. and ahead of her meeting with trump on friday britain's prime minister theresa may pledge to boost support for nato and send hundreds more troops to afghanistan. by broadcasting live the rest of this is r t international thomas certainly glad to have you with us and i crave she has reached the fifo world cup final for the first time in the country's history they sent

england crashing out of the tournament with a two one victory in moscow setting off a final showdown against france on july fifth. i were were was i. was i i was .

i think it's an incredible achievement for a country where the league is a minor league where the majority not just a majority almost one hundred percent of the players they don't play in croatia sold out people like. like myself working abroad and when you work abroad i seem to feel your country even in a in a different way so for them to go back to their countries and and to take a country like grisha to a world cup final is something amazing england of course they have a reason to cry but they have also a reason to be optimistic. and the team improved a lot in relation to previous appearances and the squad these young the majority of

the players they can play the next world cup i would say probably ashley yang's d. they will be on certain for seventy five seventy six years old no but the others there will be in the next world cup with more experience at the club level get assad good steve holland if i was. the f.a.a. if i was in charge know dogs i would keep them in the job in the old give them the chance to take the team to the next euro's eventually to the next world cup so even there's a reason to cry because it was sold so close to do it but i just saying they have also reason to be optimistic and the players and the sport and everybody involved in in the world cup for england they have a reason to come back to come back home with the pride that they gave everything and in the made a country not fully happy but they made the country proud indeed let's look at some

of the just some of the key incidents particular the goal itself i mean i think that in his kind of struggle from along that left hand side we do what he said that that's where croatia would effectively take today the target man jake it it seems like the defense whichever mangi kitsch gets that crunch goal that is it's just the kind of winger that is different than the others because normally you look at wingers and they. just fast and creative and but is also physical very physical fantastic india so the way you win is the ball in the year in the puts the ball into that space is only possible if you are very very physical and you are dominant over the defender so it was amazing by going there and winning that ball india and then let's see thirty and sometimes fatigue is not just about.

what to used to call the footy calls in in your muscle because of lect aids sometimes it's more central fatigue. your way of sinking your way of looking at scenes of understanding things storms will slow was slow to read it was slow to react he didn't anticipate the space behind him and months of bed space and months of teachers not the most skilful player in the world but these effective when he has a chance normal humans with each corps you had the chance with a fantastic save by five pick forts where you put all these volley covering all the area of the world in front of months of each month the kids had no goal we didn't see that but then in that one the heat's a little short and basically it was a good and it as you say talking about creation a country of only four million people and yet this will be this there are three

today the second semifinal already they seem to produce this kind of gritty but very talented very technically a very talented very technical day they leave the country normally very very early . normally the destinations are more closed by he's more rare player two to leave croatia and come to england for example he's more they go to germany a lot they go to countries in that area where they get some some discipline where they get physically more more and more powerful it is each you went from a croatia goes to dortmund goes to valse world goes to win. i don't know why you didn't come to manchester and i wanted him. but this voice. talent of players i think they feel obviously their country in a special way all of them their generation they know what happened in their country

probably the last of the family in in wars the identity of the country the nation elisa. they gave absolutely everything but. it's not fair to to say that we dub saying the english boys they gave everything. you know again they were sole source or so close that these were indeed towards you towards more tonight belongs to croatia they will go on and they will face france in the final how do you see that play you know i think it is the moment france having a nice drink in in their rooms or in the bar not celebrating their victory but celebrating the extra time. and celebrating twenty four hours more than them to rest which i seen is very very unfair.

i know. the broadcasters are the ones that that put the millions on the on the table but i seen for a world cup final icing both teams should play the semifinal in the same day bring these these in win game one hour or two hours early bring the france against belgium two hours later it happened during the competition even three matches in one day so why not two matches in one day and give both teams and all the players the same possibilities france is not celebrating at all. the world cup victory but they can celebrate twenty four hours more to rest in these moment after six matches is very very important and they can also serve brits three minutes or so to minutes extra which for them. extra times three extra times

ninety minutes and ninety minutes is one more match. we see in the world cup at the russian world cup it's being quite an amazing world cup on so many levels has it given you a taste for something towards international management at some point he thought. i have to do that i was i always wanted i always wanted to i always told that i have to do it once but especially being in russia and sealing the emotions around it i want to do it's and also by my experience point of view discussions of short competition i never did i was always about competitions of of eleven months i was always about marathons i was never a sprinter and so i was i i want to have that feeling i lived in all cults i love the knockout i love i love the fact of you when you go through you lose you go home

i always loved the competitions but. discussion of short competition like like the utils like the world cup. i think is an experience that i want to have to play one match a month joining two years. is not for me at least now but one day we will be because i really want to do i want to do a world cup. now everybody wants the tickets and it was no different tonight for the semifinal woman who was fortunate to be inside the stadium for this world cup semifinal alexia's said scale correspondent now moneys to make his way out and we can see lots of fans doing so like say it was a thrilling game for so many different reasons had to be only one winner croatian fans must be absolutely thrilled to have a final. there they are indeed absolutely thrilled but i have to say

you would expect the english fans to be in despair about this result you know they went so far they were so close to reaching the final the first final in so many years yet they failed at the last hurdle but i was walking around the stadium chatting to english fans and one guy particular from the. and again he was eloquent as you can possibly be on the matter he said we never expected to be this far in the world cup semifinal the first in twenty eight years we were there we were very close to winning we are very close to getting to the final but we couldn't make it the last hurdle but we still should be proud of the way the team has performed the atmosphere here was definitely better than before and definitely better than last night in st petersburg which i witnessed france against belgium many pundits actually said it was pretty flat but we'll see what's going to be in the final. but if you don't see to stay right here right these are you don't see despair you see. so i mean fast times square in central london and the atmosphere is exactly that at the moment for that and i'm with tales of defeat is england fans but they're still

wearing the shares and let's go off with pride guys how you feeling after the match or to see them go at it but the same some i'm very very proud of them to you know what gives choice it is for we have a young say joe and they place a good football with a valuable view so you have an easy route were actually able to go be with you for you know we didn't but i'm sure production will be no loss when we go this fall as before i was bowled so i'll never seen a culture come to give a lot is finishing on the cops get lucky and so you want to give us all to miss a future so a feeling of unity but he said you are feeling hope for all it is the second hole for a heart of this year not on as the first was a go but this is way more important to sleep i feel crushed ball a worm a show of pride on the shirt was out before i was born book called morning looms so a feeling of defeat have all say a little bit of feeling of optimism for next time s. try and bring that trophy here so can you the one and you still turn me on who come

over again croatia they have done they start hard way in each of the knockout stages they have gone through extra time those pres must be tired the fans they're not going to stop celebrating they're into the first of the welcome final scene inside. ah. ah. ah i can't help but think it neal that one of the most searched for items is going to be over the next day's direct flights to moscow from zagreb dubrovnik getting here as much as possible i think that's what they're thinking we just have to be here for our first ever world cup final incredible and you would because i'm with you because i say that's almost the hardest way you can do it two sets of penalties a lot of extra time and most people who say they deserved it over you know one hundred twenty minutes great players and we've seen those scenes russia celebrated

because they did better than they expected and i think it's fair to say croatia done better than expected as well but on the world cups of the celebrations it is even sweeter when you didn't think you do so what exactly four million people are going crazy tonight to warm the final score to. neil. into the final of the world cup no eastern european team has ever won the world cup but from what you've seen you know you've watched a lot of creationist games do they have enough to to to challenge at least france because as you say was saying it's one less day of rest that played one hundred twenty minutes three times in a row it's going to take a herculean effort. well first of all the same thing was said about croatia coming into this game although you know the extra time that they played was again the todd says the same argument now they bore it pretty well didn't they against england

they got stronger as the game went on you expected it might have been the other way round instead they were better in the second half of the stronger team in the extra thirty minutes so i think this is only peter schmeichel said. don't worry about the fatigue when you're talking about what he said for the world. semifinalist even more so for world cup final if you can get it for a game like this you know you won't find the energy for anything in this plenty of time after the tournament over to be tied you know if injuries permitting if no no one's so badly to take they can't actually take the page those guys will muster up the energy and i think they will. produce what we've seen in each round really creative midfield so you know not just moderate reputation and recent showing you know as josie really was saying as far as wing is go he's a very physical winger and the head that he created that winning goal from and seek each one with with her physically and had a. it's a midfield that france will be very worried about you don't ever think you went to

a world cup final and the creation mathilde is as good as any in this competition and not even looking tired as well after so many matches russian fans you know maybe feeling even better but getting to the quarterfinals they can now say they were beaten by the world cup finalists if not winners this sunday with so bobby's something they can always look back on as well the locals here who really have enjoyed this tournament a few days left to go with a great party it's going to continue into the night here i think we're going to see a lot of white and red checked shirts in the coming days four days left if you want to pick a winner. adult that's what i'm thinking make it last as long as possible let's let's just enjoy. our tease don't you hawkins was in central moscow right after the game to get reaction from supporters of both england and croatia so life was here on the cold straits and i but that's really been the case since the start of the

world cups and i know it's a special one for the crew asian fans it was england's first semifinal since the euro was born in fact since nineteen ninety and it's the croatian team's second semifinal since ninety ninety eight that was their debut year in. the world cup as an independent nation what sort of ocean is right now do you feel. just a bit devastated see i mean i didn't hear you well we did out of the city so i was by some twenty five people that i do pretty well ok but i want to go by guys how would your emotions often escape what a fantastic game it's been yeah this is the best game i think in praise of football history we love our guys are going to support them to the end racial be number one this spot was something that i always think is disappointing to go your guts about coming out not told me we're going to go in the square and i like going to be louder than the durations so that fear that i'm like i hope they beat the french

and this will this will funds or everyone's be sure nice versions of be nice just be screaming in time when you came to russia over the for the first match did you think that troy should be in the final week of so this is a dream for a long long time. and the guys show that. we also want to date the mother russia we are loving here there are these five the people. and we all thrilled to be here look came back go where we first met your not are scared or care enough or ten. years serving your book was her. switching gears to other news around the world this hour donald trump is meeting nato allies at a two day summit in brussels and the u.s. president has urged other member states to boost their military spending charmed

has details but donald trump has tweeted that he wants countries in the nato alliance to pay two percent of g.d.p. towards the defense budget now immediately he says in his tweet. and not by the date that he says is twenty twenty five and he's also in that tweet accused germany again following his tirade on wednesday morning of spending billions paying billions to russia for a guess pipeline project well that to raid it came from him after we also heard that there were claims by the old garion president that trump has also asked allies to increase the contributions not to two percent but up to four percent and washington has previously talked about the fact that if other countries don't pull their weight in washington the usa will actually leave the alliance with the nato secretary general was asked about that increase in the contributions of g.d.p.

from two to four percent but he kicked the idea into the long grass i think you should first get to two percent. not now. that is what we have agreed that the pledge. and the good thing is that we are. the war start well that tweet by trump came after criticisms he made of germany on wednesday morning talking about germany not paying its dues and saying that it was captive to russia because of a gas pipeline project this is the nordstrom to project which is due to be completed in twenty nineteen that will see a reliable source of guess transmitted directly from the russian gas fields to germany to provide get a space center and western europe it's long been a bone of contention the us in particular trump who see this as empowering russia

now he talked about the billions being spent and later the two leaders met germany is a captive over here there's a shitload to get rid of. they get exam much of the world and for russia i think it's something they are asked to look at i think it's very appropriate they pay billions of dollars to russia and we have to defend them against russia explain that and if you like. you. were able to say independent policy in make our own decisions and that's very good following that meeting though donald trump changed his tune and said that relations between germany and the usa were great and they look forward to working together in the future there was also a joint declaration issued the need to summit by the joint heads of state and government lots contained in there in regards to russia where the need to leaders have accused russia of aggressive actions which they say undermine international

order and they also said that need to would continue to respond to the change security environment as a. results of that aggression by enhanced seem to terence and defense posture towards a forward presence in its eastern allies countries so essentially on the border areas with russia and it said that need to doesn't seek confrontation with russia while on the other hand talked about the enhancement of its capabilities and its rapid response force which it says will be able to be deployed within thirty days or less much more to discuss this nato meeting as leaders head into talks this evening and it continues on thursday. joined by david swanson a political activist and author of war is alive thanks for being with us here on r.t. international. so david president trouble wants nato allies to

boost defense spending to four percent of judo g.d.p. the white house has confirmed that he has said this now is that a reasonable request considering even the u.s. doesn't spend this much it spends about three percent right now. i think it's sociopathic i think it's taken decades of propaganda to make that not seem crazy that it's spending our militarism on war preparations call it defense if you want to there's nothing offensive about it it's in danger in europe which gets more of the blowback while the united states fights more of the war is what a deal nato is for europe and that the economy of a country should determine its war spending that if you have more money you should have more wars is absolute insanity when when president trump says you spend more on weapons and more on nato or nato will scale back in nato will pull out of nato won't be here the the correct answer from europe is yes please thank you get out

this is not a european invention this is a tool of us domination that has colombia joining it of all things it is obsolete as president trump has said well he insists now that it be funded and maintained and expanded because of the the threat of russia and the seizure of of crimea as the as the new york times and my liberal neighbors and the democrats put it well you bring up russia trump has claimed in an interesting way that germany is quote captive to russia specifically because of the nord stream into gas pipeline why is the u.s. so concerned about this pipeline specifically. theon ited states. united states billionaires and corporations works for the profit of its industries and well every liberal in my town in the democratic party and you know everyone you

hear on liberal t.v. in the united states claims that trump is a servant of lead america putin trump is fighting the gas pipeline that is in the interests of russia but not in the interests of us profiteers just as he is our main ukraine and other countries and moving troops and expanding nato in the direction of rochelle while supposedly being the servant of russia when donald trump was shocked by how many u.s. troops there were in germany the answer from germany and from nato and from the world should have been get them out get them out of germany meanwhile now he knows that germany is still occupied by tens of thousands of u.s. troops for the past seventy years and claims that germany is a servant and controlled by russia i mean it don't try to make sense of it it doesn't make sense we've you know we've we've gotta drop back into price now much of it does make sense but follow the money is one of the ideas that i'm getting

here now. the sixteenth hell thinking an important meeting between trump and putin do you expect trying to raise these concerns about nord stream at this upcoming summit with lattimer put. i don't claim any special powers to predict what will come out of trump's various orifices but i think it's entirely possible that what i think is is critical is that trump is willing to speak with russia and presents russia as a reasonable nation with whom he can go and speak of oh well the democrats and some republicans in washington and most people in the united states who own televisions say otherwise and are horrified and terrified of russia and want nato strengthened and kept in place because it's a tool for the europeans to serve as the as the protectors of the united states from the evil russian threat this is this is what drives this and congress's

interest in passing the buck on wars to nato and humanitarian warriors interests and making wars seem to have some sort of legal international sanction through nato rather than the united nations and the weapons stealers interests in profits of lattimer putin ought to talk with donald trump about that corrupting influence all right david swanson political activist and author of war as a lie always interesting to hear thoughts of thanks for being with us here on art international thank you. now while most nato members are reluctant to raise their defense spending britain is demonstrating its commitment to the alliance prime minister theresa may is sending hundreds of extra troops to afghanistan. we lead by example not only by mission today targets of spending two percent of our g.d.p. on defense but also twenty percent of our defense budget on equipment and in the way in which we deploy thousands of forces personnel nation operations around the

world if you take the announcing today that we will be deploying additional four hundred forty first no two they chose resolute mission in afghanistan and i think that shows when measured cools you can is one of the first to have to step up certainly the timing of this announcement is quite curious there we have donald trump saying he's making it clear he wants nato allies to really step it up and here we have the u.k. pretty much almost immediately appeasing him by not just saying here we are one of the few countries contributing two percent of our g.d.p. to nato but also we're going to provide some troops well the question there is whether it's nato calling or donald trump calling because we have to understand that this is the first time in the years that the u.k. is making such a contribution indeed the number is being talked about is four hundred forty non-combat troops which will bring the total number of u.k. troops in afghanistan to eleven hundred and it's also has to be clear that this is the biggest commitment to the u.k. is stepping into in years since previous british prime minister david cameron

withdrew u.k. troops from the ground after thirteen years of presence leaving just four hundred fifty troops in a training role and then adding some since that happened well all of this taken into account this announcement could be seen as part of the welcome mat being rolled out for the u.s. president as he visits the u.k. later on this week quite amid some controversy of course with protests having taken place ahead of his visit and of course the british public indeed expected to continue demonstrating when he is here in the u.k. but i'm going to leave it there but i will be back in about well it's twenty nine minutes with a full of three news you are watching art international stay with. join me every thursday on the alex simon chill and i'll be speaking to guest on the world of politics sport business i'm show business i'll see you then.

time after time to my going underground as britain wonders if it's coming no more than it wonders whether the u.k. is leaving the european union coming up on the show on the eve of u.s. president donald trump landing in britain one of his transition team dr john help by hayes tells us about the future of the so-called special relationship paul for all of blood as nato leaders meets in a new billion dollar brussels h.q. we speak to about three award winning director who edited hundreds of hours of film of nato's enemies to humanize them from the headlines the foreign secretary who spawned of sitting on the fence on the bricks attack a trait boost.