The principle of collective defense, according to Jens Stoltenberg, should be extended to all NATO countries, not just those that have increased their military spending to 2% of GDP. The Secretary General of NATO said this before the meeting of the Defense Ministers of the Alliance in Brussels.
This is how he interpreted former US President Donald Trump’s statements that Washington should not protect allies “who have not made their payments”.
“The principle of one for all and all for one should be extended to all NATO countries. Otherwise, it will undermine the security of all of us, endangering our soldiers on the front lines. Collective protection therefore extends to the entire bloc; it is the foundation of NATO,” Stoltenberg said.
However, Stoltenberg emphasized that European countries should increase their investments in the field of defense.
As for the discussion starting once again in the European Union about military and possibly nuclear autonomy from the US, Stoltenberg defended the intention of European countries to spend more money for defense, but not to the detriment of NATO.
“It should not be an alternative to NATO. Increasing military spending by European countries should strengthen NATO. We should not go down the path of dividing Europe and North America, we should strengthen them together within NATO,” Stoltenberg said.
The head of the alliance also reminded that 80% of NATO’s defense costs go to countries that are not part of the European Union.
Stoltenberg also stressed that NATO “has a core nuclear deterrence capability,” which he said “has been in place” for decades, and therefore everyone must ensure that NATO’s nuclear capabilities remain “effective and secure.” :
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