Matthew Whitaker, US Ambassador to NATO, gave assurances on Tuesday, May 13, that the US does not retire from Europe, but Washington always reviews its posture, in a “360 degree” approach, taking care not to leave “security goals”.
Matthew Whitaker/Photo: EPA
“We had a lot of discussions in the North Atlantic Council with our allies, in particular we talked to ambassadors from the Black Sea region, Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria, because we understand the essential strategic importance of the Black Sea especially in the context of the Ukraine War.“, Said Matthew Whitaker, in a press briefing held before the infomal meeting on Wednesday and Thursday of Turkey of NATO foreign ministers, who will prepare the summit of the next month, Hague, writes News.ro.
“I mentioned the 360 degree approach that NATO has in relation to all regions. We can say in relation to Ukraine that as you cannot have a favorite child in a family, so you cannot have a favorite region within NATO and, therefore, we must be very attentive, we talk about strategic challenges and threats“Added the ambassador.
“We are fully aware of the importance of a strong black sea in the context of the Ukraine war and we make sure that the needs of our allies are satisfied by both alliance and the USA that provide them with strategic help.”Matthew Whitaker stressed, who took his post from NATO in early last month.
Asked if Washington plans to withdraw his forces from Europe, he said that the US always reviews its posture, but “As the secretaries of Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth (State Secretary, respectively the Pentagon's head – no), the United States do not withdraw from Europe”, The ambassador gave assurances.
He confirmed that the next NATO summit in June, Hague, will focus on the investment plans in defense and the development of the defense industry.
“We will talk about security threats from the perspective of 360 degrees. President Donald Trump will talk to the Allies and partners about the importance of the commitment to invest in defense.”Whitaker said, confirming that the US president would be present at the summit, given that speculation in the press had appeared that they could be absent.
Whitaker also reminded Donald Trump's call to states to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP.
“We are looking forward to getting more details this week about how the Allies intend to make this possible. 5% is not just a number. It is a necessity for our security. The alliance is facing significant threats, as you all know, and we must be prepared to cope. This level of investments is necessary to ensure that the allies have the necessary capacities to discourage and defend the Alliance and to contribute to our collective defense“Whitaker pointed out.
“The money alone will not give us the security we need,” the representative of the Trump administration drew attention.
“Without a defense industry capable of producing what our armies need to keep us safe, this money does not mean anything and will be spent on unnecessary things, such as inflation. In the United States, we increase the defense production and encourage our allies and partners to do the same“He said.
He pointed out at the same time and that there must be “a fair treatment“For American companies in the field of defense technology.
“The exclusion of industries outside the EU from the EU initiatives in the field of defense would undermine NATO interoperability, slow down Europe, increase costs and stifle innovation”, Watched the diplomat.
He said, answering a question, that the 5 percent figure is firm, is not just a sting from which to descend, for example, to 3.5 percent.
