Trump has not ditched NATO’s Fifth Article / Day
« He has not ditched the fifth. He is faithful to NATO, he is determined to follow the fifth, » Rite told AFP in an interview. The Fifth Article of the NATO Treaty provides that an attack on one NATO country is an attack on all members of the organization.
Trump has worried the Allies, stating that only those who, in his opinion, spend enough money on their own protection, and his administration also said he could take US forces from Europe to focus on threatening elsewhere, such as China’s threat.
Rite in an interview AFP explained that the goal was not to leave the US from NATO or Europe. However, the United States plans to focus more on Asia, so changes over time are possible, he added.
« But now in Europe there is and will continue to be US nuclear weapons and the traditional military presence, » the NATO Secretary General emphasized.
European countries have stated that if Trump really plans to take their forces out of the continent, the US should be agreed with the Allies in order not to leave the gaps safely. « I accept and expect it to be done without surprises, » Rite said.
The NATO leader emphasized that he was in agreement with Trump on the need to increase defense spending and end the war in Ukraine. « When it comes to the issues I focus on, and it’s Ukraine, it’s NATO’s territory, we really agree, » Rite said.
