Summary of the day
Nato defence ministers met in Brussels.
The meeting came at a time when European officials are keeping a close eye on developments in the US, where Donald Trump said he would not defend Nato members that don’t meet defence spending target.
During the session, ministers highlighted their countries’ contributions to the alliance.
The French defence minister, Sébastien Lecornu, said his country’s defence spending will reach 2% of Gross Domestic Product this year.
Boris Pistorius, the German defence minister, underscored “75 years of the transatlantic security partnership on the basis of mutual trust.”
Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary general, said it is in the US interest to have a strong Nato.
The alliance chief also said Nato is “on the right track” when it comes to defence investment.
France and Ukraine are expected to sign a bilateral agreement on security commitments tomorrow.
Air alert warnings sounded across Ukraine overnight as Russia launched a massive missile attack on the country.
A missile strike on the Russian city of Belgorod near the Ukraine border killed six people, a Russian official said.
Ukraine is conducting a manoeuvre in Avdiivka to withdraw troops in some areas to “more advantageous positions”, a military spokesman said.
Nato makes the US stronger, Stoltenberg says amid concerns about Trump critique
Asked about criticism from some American politicians, Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary-general, said:
We are 31 democratic nations on both sides of the Atlantic. And as long as this alliance has existed, there have been different views and discussions.
He added:
When you look at the opinion polls, there is record high support for Nato.
“I’m confident,” Stoltenberg said, “that Nato will remain the strongest and most succesful alliance in history.”
He also said:
I expect the United States to continue to be a staunch ally, for at least three reasons:
First, it is in the national security interest of the United States to have a strong Nato.
Second, there is actually broad bipartisan support for Nato in the United States.
And thirdly, the criticism in the United States is not primarily against Nato, it’s against Nato allies not spending enough money on Nato.
And then actually we have a very good story to tell. Because for many years, it was a valid point and a fair case to raise from the US side that European allies and Canada did not spend enough.
But things have really changed, with increased defence spending across Canada and Europe.
Stoltenberg underscored that “it is in the US interest to have a strong Nato because no other major power has anything like Nato – more than 30 friends and allies, and that makes the US stronger.”
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