Keeping NATO strong is in U.S. interests, chief says amid Trump remarks

Jens Stoltenberg's remarks come days after U.S. Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump said members who miss their spending targets should be abandoned.

It is in the United States’ interest to keep the NATO military alliance strong, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says.

Stoltenberg made the remarks to reporters in Belgium on Wednesday, days after U.S. Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump said he would “encourage” Russia to attack members who miss their spending targets.

“The United States have never fought a war alone. From the Korean War to Afghanistan, NATO allies have been fighting shoulder by shoulder with U.S. soldiers, and we have to remember that the only time we invoked Article 5 was after … 9/11, and hundreds of thousands of Canadian and European troops served in Afghanistan to protect the United States, and many of them paid the ultimate price.”

On Saturday, the former U.S. president said he would “encourage” Russia to “do whatever the hell they want” to NATO allies who don’t pay their bills. NATO has been a key ally to Ukraine as it continues to defend itself from Moscow’s nearly two-year-old full-scale invasion.

That would include Canada, which has for years fallen short of hitting the agreed upon target to spend two per cent of GDP on defence, as have other members.

“Well sir, if we don’t pay, and we’re attacked by Russia — will you protect us?” Trump quoted an unnamed leader as saying during a conversation with him.

“I said: ‘You didn’t pay? You’re delinquent?’ He said: ‘Yes, let’s say that happened.’ No, I would not protect you. In fact, I would encourage them (Russia) to do whatever the hell they want. You gotta pay,” Trump said.

His comments have trigged criticism by some allies, but Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly stopped short of directly responding to him when asked earlier this week.