Stoltenberg assured EU that NATO would survive possible Trump presidency
Europe must not fall into the trap of creating a "self-fulfilling prophecy" that NATO will supposedly die under Donald Trump's second presidency.
This is reported by Censor.NET with reference to The Guardian.
According to him, leaders should engage with Trump, just as they did in 2016, regardless of the rhetoric during the US election campaign.
"I worked with him (with Trump. - Ed.) for four years," the Secretary General of the Alliance noted.
Asked if he thought Trump had changed since his presidency ended in 2020, Stoltenberg said he couldn't say, but added: "I think it's important not to create self-fulfilling prophecies by assuming that a new administration in the United States will mean the end of NATO. That was the concern in 2016. The reality is that NATO is stronger after four years ... more troops, high readiness."
Stoltenberg said he remains optimistic about NATO's future.
"The reason I expect the United States to remain a strong ally ... is that the main criticism from President Trump, as well as vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance, has not been directed primarily at NATO. It has been directed at against the fact that NATO allies do not spend enough money on defense, and this is changing," he concluded.
It will be recalled that earlier the media reported that Trump's plan to end the war in Ukraine may include a commitment not to expand NATO to the east.
