President Obama's 24-hour stay in Brussels is costing Belgium $10.4 million in extra security
He has arrived with a 900-strong entourage and 45 vehicles transported in three cargo planes
Has made a conspicuous show of diplomatic force since arriving in Europe for a round of summits on Sunday
German foreign minister said Putin has 'opened Pandora's Box' in Crimea
Indeed, presidential trips set the taxpayer back enormously. The Washington Post reported in June 2013, that the Obama family trip to Africa cost the government anywhere between $60 and $100 million
Obama lands in Belgium with entourage of 900 and 45 armored vehicles for ONE night only costing THEM $10.4 million in security
By James Nye The Daily Mail 03/25/14
It is going to cost Brussels $10.4 million to host Barack Obama on his first presidential visit to the Belgian capital.
Even for the headquarters of the European Union and NATO the astronomical sum has raised eyebrows - especially as President Obama intends on spending only 24 hours in the historic city.
Bringing with him a personal diplomatic and security entourage of 900 people and three cargo planes carrying 45 vehicles, the visit is also being policed by 350 police and military on motorbikes to secure the president's routes to EU and NATO summits on Wednesday.
The president has been conspicuously projecting American power during his tour of Europe - arriving in Amsterdam on Monday flanked by a squadron of Marine-Corp gunships.
The show of force was undeniably for the benefit of Russian President Putin who has angered the international community with his unilateral annexation of Crimea.
The President landed on Tuesday night in Air Force One and was escorted in his armored car, nicknamed 'The Beast' to his hotel in the upmarket Toison d'Or shopping district.
Advanced security teams have already combed every inch of Brussels, including the sewers and all major hospitals have been briefed.
But for a city that hosts at least four EU summits a year that witness the visit of British, French and German leaders, this is expensive.
Usually those summits cost Brussels $690,000, 'But this time round, you can multiply that figure by 20,' said Brussels mayor, Yvan Mayeur.
Indeed, the city will raise its security level from two to three - with four being the most serious.
There will be a ring of steel around The Hotel - a former Hilton - where the president will spend his only night.
The city has readied 350 extra military and police to line the route for the presidential convoy as Obama attends NATO and EU summits on Wednesday.
Following that the same convoy of Marine-Corp helicopters will transport the president to an American first world war cemetery where he will meet Belgium's King Philippe and Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo.
After that he will return to the Belgian capital for a meeting with European Council president, Herman Van Rompuy, and the European Commission president, José Manuel Barroso.
From there he will travel to NATO's headquarters for a summit with its secretary-general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
The president spent Monday in Amsterdam and The Hague and will leave Brussels on Wednesday evening to fly to Rome for his first meeting with Pope Francis.
A presidential visit of this scale however, is not unique.
President George W. Bush took 700 people with him to London in November 2003, months before the UK and US invasion of Iraw.
At the time, The Guardian described the visit as 'worthy of a traveling medieval monarch' and the trip cost the British government $8 million.
Indeed, presidential trips set the taxpayer back enormously. The Washington Post reported in
June 2013, that the Obama family trip to Africa cost the government anywhere between $60 and $100 million.
The U.S. President, who accused Putin of trying to 'intimidate' Ukraine by amassing troops within striking distance of major cities such as Donetsk and Kharkiv, is pressed his western allies to support tougher sanctions against Russia, even if they risk hurting the continent's economies.
In an interview with the Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant published ahead of his arrival, President Obama said his message to European leaders is that Putin needs to 'understand the economic and political consequences of his actions in Ukraine.'
But he stopped short of suggesting Europe as a battleground between the East and the West, adding: 'That's the kind of thinking that should have ended with the Cold War. On the contrary, it's important that Ukraine have good relations with the United States, Russia, and Europe.'
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