NATO Chief: Trump-Putin Summit Is ‘Sign of Strength’

Donald Trump’s planned meeting with Vladimir Putin next month is a “sign of strength” and does not undermine NATO’s approach to Russia, the head of the military alliance said Thursday.

News ID: 70993

Date: 29 June 2018 - 15:47

TEHRAN (Defapress) -Addressing journalists on his way into the European Council summit in Brussels where he will discuss EU-NATO military cooperation, Jens Stoltenberg said, “For me dialogue is not a sign of weakness, dialogue is a sign of strength.”

“It is totally in line with NATO policies to talk to Russia,” he said, adding, “We don’t want a new Cold War.”

Trump will meet the Russian president on July 16 in Helsinki, Finland, four days after what promises to be a tense NATO summit in Brussels.

The American president has berated European members, notably Germany, for not fulfilling the alliance’s target of spending 2 percent of national income of defense — and even previously referred to NATO as “obsolete.”

But Stoltenberg said it was essential to keep the military alliance together. “We should have no illusions: Europe and North America need one another,” he said, adding, “I am absolutely confident and certain that President Trump is committed to NATO.”

Asked about the fight over financial commitments, the NATO chief said: “There are differences and disagreements between NATO allies on different issues … I am absolutely certain that we can manage this also this time because it is in our interests to stand tougher.”

He pointed out that Germany had boosted defense spending by 6 percent last year and had committed to further increases.

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