European leaders appeared flustered after former President Donald Trump suggested he may not uphold the United States’ commitments toward certain NATO nations if elected president, with the military alliance’s chief warning that such rhetoric puts the West’s security at risk.
“Any suggestion that allies will not defend each other undermines all of our security, including that of the US, and puts American and European soldiers at increased risk. I expect that regardless of who wins the presidential election, the United States will remain a strong and committed NATO ally,” NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement on Feb. 11, according to The Guardian.
