US is ‘absolutely locked in’ to Nato, Healey says despite Trump’s threats to leave
Defense Secretary John Healey insisted the US remains “absolutely committed” to NATO despite Donald Trump’s harsh criticism of the alliance.
The US president posted another social media attack on Wednesday evening criticizing NATO, accusing it of “not being there when we need it”.
His latest in a series of critical comments about NATO came after the White House said Trump met with secretary-general Mark Rutte, who he said planned to have a “very open and frank” conversation about his frustrations with the alliance.
But Mr Healey, speaking on Friday at a time when relations between Britain and the US are increasingly deteriorating, said it would be better to “focus on our actions” rather than Mr Trump’s social media posts.
Emphasizing that the United States remains committed to NATO, Obama said: “You know, if we focus on our actions rather than just the exchange of words and social media posts, then the bottom line for me is that America is absolutely locked into NATO – both with its benefits and its great contributions.”
He told the London Defense Conference: “We must do more on the European side – we are doing and will do – and there are deep values that our nations share and these will eventually see us through the ups and downs of political cycles, as they have on both sides of the Atlantic in previous years.”
After meeting with the NATO secretary general on Wednesday evening, Trump launched a new rhetoric targeting the alliance online.
“NATO WAS NOT THERE WHEN WE NEEDED US, AND THEY WILL NOT BE THERE WHEN WE NEED IT AGAIN. DON’T FORGET THAT BIG, POORLY MANAGED PIECE OF ICE, GREENLAND!!!” He wrote at Truth Social.
At a White House briefing before the meeting, his press secretary told reporters that Mr. Trump had “discussed” withdrawing from NATO.
Speaking on Friday, Sir Keir Starmer said European allies needed to do more in NATO after Mr Trump stepped up threats to leave the alliance.
“We are very strong supporters of NATO and I have long argued that we need to do more,” he said.
“It is the most effective military alliance the world has ever known. Do we Europeans need to do more? Yes, I have been making that claim to our European partners as much as anyone else for the last two years. We are and will continue to make that claim.”
He added: “This is in America’s interest, it is in Europe’s interest. NATO is a defense alliance that has kept us much safer than we would otherwise be for decades.”
Tensions over the alliance have been further highlighted by the reaction to the US president’s war against Iran, which has caused a worldwide economic shock.
The US president had previously raised the possibility of the US leaving NATO, calling it a “paper tiger”.
He raised the issue of contributions paid by fellow NATO members, arguing that the United States was a financial burden on other countries.
Asked whether Mr Trump’s stance represented a long-term shift in relations, Mr Healey said on Friday: “I think this is a long-term shift where Europe needs to recognize that we need to do more of the heavy lifting for our own security and within NATO.”
The relationship between Downing Street and the White House has come under particular strain following harsh comments made by the US president in response to the UK’s refusal to engage in offensive operations.
In a recent joke, Mr Trump compared Sir Keir to Neville Chamberlain at an Easter event at the White House on Monday, telling reporters Britain had “a long way to go”.
Sir Keir spoke to Mr Trump on Thursday evening about the need for a “practical plan” to enable ships to pass through the Strait of Hormuz following the ceasefire in the Middle East.
The call between the leaders came shortly after the prime minister criticized the US President over the knock-on effects of the Iran conflict, saying he was “fed up” with rising bills in the UK “due to the actions of Putin or Trump”.
