Today, Thursday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg urged the United States to stand by Europe, coinciding with the 75th anniversary of the founding of the alliance.
The commemoration of the founding of the alliance this year comes amid threats and the specter of former US President Donald Trump returning to the White House after he made statements about his country not defending member states that do not spend enough on defense.
The Ukraine crisis, which began in 2022, revitalized NATO as it faced one of the most serious challenges since it emerged from the ashes of World War II.
The alliance has strengthened its forces across Eastern Europe and now includes 32 members after Finland and Sweden joined its ranks.
But while the crisis has refocused NATO on Russia to the east, another threat coming from the West is worrying allies about the most prominent power leading the alliance: the United States.
This threat is represented by the possibility of Trump returning to the White House, even though he stated, during his current election campaign, that he would encourage Russia to attack any NATO country that does not spend enough on defense.
Stoltenberg said, during a ceremony held at the alliance’s headquarters in the Belgian capital, Brussels, “I do not believe in America alone, just as I do not believe in Europe alone… I believe in America and Europe together in NATO, because we are stronger and safer together.”
In an effort to ward off Trump's criticism, NATO reviewed an increase in spending by European allies, with 20 members expected this year to reach the goal of spending 2% of gross domestic product on defense.
“North America also needs Europe,” Stoltenberg said, after a Belgian army band played the NATO anthem.
He added, “The United States, through NATO, has more friends and allies than any other major power.”
As the specter of Trump looms over the alliance's future, NATO countries face the most pressing challenge of ensuring that Ukraine does not lose out in the current crisis.
NATO members threw their weight behind Kiev, which seeks to join NATO by sending weapons worth tens of billions of US dollars.
But these supplies have now declined, while a necessary aid package is still pending within the framework of the political debates taking place in the United States. On the front line, Ukrainian forces, which suffer from a shortage of ammunition, face successive setbacks.
Kiev is calling on its Western backers to send all the Patriot defense systems it can.
“I don't want to spoil the festive atmosphere, but certainly my main message today will be Patriot (missiles),” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said before talks with his NATO counterparts.
“Saving Ukrainian lives, saving the Ukrainian economy, and saving Ukrainian cities depend on the availability of Patriot and other air defense systems in Ukraine,” he added.
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