On Monday 12 February, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, said that the Atlantic Alliance could not be an à la carte alliance, following Donald Trump’s comments on the possibility of no longer defending Alliance countries that did not spend enough on defence.
“Let’s be serious! NATO cannot be an “à la carte” military alliance”, said Mr Borrell ahead of the informal meeting of European defence ministers. “NATO cannot be an alliance that works depending on the ‘humeur’ of the President of the United States in those days. It is not ‘Now yes. Tomorrow, no. It depends’... It exists, or it does not exist!”, he added, warning that he would not comment “on any silly idea” that is expressed during an American election campaign.
For the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, Mr Trump’s “imprudent” comments on NATO security and Article 5 solidarity “serve only (Vladimir) Putin’s interest. They do not bring more security or peace to the world. On the contrary, they reemphasise the need for the EU to urgently further develop its strategic autonomy and invest in its defence. And to keep our Alliance strong”, he said on X.
For his part, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that “any suggestion that the Allies will not defend each other undermines the security of all of us, including the United States, and puts American and European soldiers at greater risk”. He said he was convinced that the United States would remain “a strong and committed ally within NATO, whoever wins the presidential election”. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)