Spanish Foreign Minister: Trump’s threats to withdraw from NATO are forcing Europe to seek alternatives
Recent complaints by the United States against its NATO allies and threats to withdraw from the Alliance are forcing European countries to seek alternative security arrangements, said Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares.
According to Censor.NET, his statement is quoted by Reuters.
Details
The Spanish minister's comments referred to statements made by U.S. President Donald Trump, who threatened to withdraw from NATO because his allies refused to assist him in his war against Iran and in reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
Albares noted that decisions regarding NATO rest entirely with Trump, but emphasized that the Alliance’s members had shown solidarity with Washington following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
"NATO is a mutually beneficial alliance for both Europeans and Americans... But the statements and new positions of the U.S. administration on Euro-Atlantic security issues are prompting us Europeans to take a decisive step forward regarding our sovereignty and defense. We must take the security of our citizens and the deterrence of threats into our own hands," said Albares.
According to him, to achieve this, the EU must move toward creating a pan-European army and integrating its defense industries, as well as establishing a single digital market and a capital markets union.
