(Vatican Radio) The Secretary General of the NATO military alliance has warned US President-elect Donald Trump that "going it alone" is not an option for Europe or the United States. Jens Stoltenberg made the comments amid mounting concerns in especially Eastern Europe that the United States will be less committed to their security despite Russia's growing military influence in the region.
Listen to the report by Stefan Bos:
Stoltenberg urged Trump to realize that the West is facing its greatest security challenge in a generation.
Several former Soviet satellite states who are now part of the alliance have been alarmed by Trump's election campaign rhetoric. He suggested that the United States would think twice about coming to the aid of any ally under attack if it had not paid its dues.
Leaders in countries bordering Russia such as the Baltics and Poland are concerned that this could be interpreted by Moscow as a signal that it could potentially invade other nations without facing resistance from the US. It also has led to concerns in Kiev that the US may eventually recognize Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.
Writing in Britain's Observer newspaper, NATO Secretary general Stoltenberg conceded that Trump had a point about the need for some members to make a bigger financial contribution as the US currently accounts for almost 70 percent of the alliance's spending.
STRATEGIC INTEREST
But the NATO chief also stressed that American leaders had always recognized that they had a profound strategic interest in a stable and secure Europe.
His remarks came while European Union foreign ministers gathered Sunday to discuss the impact of Trump's election on trans-Atlantic ties and whether it will complicate relations with an increasingly belligerent Russia.
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker isn't optimistic. "I believe that we'll have two years of wasted time while Mr. Trump tours a world he doesn't know. Mr. Trump said during his campaign that Belgium was a village somewhere in Europe," he said.
Vatican Radio has learned however that President-elect Trump is in contact with officials to help him maintain good relations with European and other leaders.
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