NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg praised former President Donald Trump for his role in getting member nations to increase their defense spending. Stoltenberg made the comments in an interview with Fox News host Brian Kilmeade.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has credited former President Donald Trump for his role in getting member nations to increase their defense spending.
Stoltenberg told Fox News host Brian Kilmeade that Trump's "America First" rhetoric and his decision to withdraw the United States from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty led to a "wake-up call" among NATO members.
NATO's Stoltenberg Credits Trump for Increased Defense Spending
"I think President Trump's rhetoric, his focus on burden sharing, his decision to withdraw from the INF Treaty, all of that had a wake-up call effect on NATO," Stoltenberg said.
"I think it made many European allies realize that they could no longer rely on the United States in the same way as they had done in the past," he added.
NATO's Stoltenberg Credits Trump for Increased Defense Spending
Stoltenberg's comments come as NATO members are facing pressure to increase their defense spending in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
At the NATO summit in Madrid in June, member countries agreed to increase their defense spending to 2% of their GDP by 2024.
NATO's Stoltenberg Credits Trump for Increased Defense Spending
Stoltenberg said that Trump's emphasis on burden sharing had helped to create a "new momentum" within NATO.
"I think President Trump's focus on burden sharing has been very important," Stoltenberg said. "It has helped to create a new momentum within NATO, and it has led to a significant increase in defense spending by European allies."
Stoltenberg also said that Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from the INF Treaty had "sent a clear message to Russia that the United States was no longer willing to tolerate its violations of the treaty."
"I think President Trump's decision to withdraw from the INF Treaty was a very important step," Stoltenberg said. "It sent a clear message to Russia that the United States was no longer willing to tolerate its violations of the treaty."
Stoltenberg added that Trump's decision had helped to "revitalize" NATO and had made the alliance "stronger and more united."
"I think President Trump's presidency has been a very important chapter in the history of NATO," Stoltenberg said. "He has helped to revitalize the alliance and make it stronger and more united."
