Trump says US 'firmly behind' NATO mutual defense pact

  • 2017-07-08
  • LETA/TBT Staff

WARSAW - US President Donald Trump publicly endorsed NATO's one-for-all-and-all-for-one mutual defense pact during a keynote speech in Warsaw on Thursday, seeking to ease allies' concerns that the US safety net had frayed.

"The United States has demonstrated not merely with words, but with its actions, that we stand firmly behind Article Five," Trump said, referring to the mutual defense commitment.

But he said that more defense spending was needed on the eastern side of the Atlantic, "for its own protection, and you know this. Everybody knows this. Everybody has to know this. Europe must do more."

Article 5 is the North Atlantic Treaty's key provision. Under Article 5, an attack on any NATO member is considered an attack on all.