The U.S. President, Donald Trump, is facing bipartisan resistance over renewed suggestion that the United States could withdraw from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
In a joint statement released on Wednesday, Democratic Senator, Chris Coons, and Republican Senator, Mitch McConnell, stressed that American security is strengthened by a robust NATO alliance.
“The Senate will continue to support the alliance for the peace and protection it provides America, Europe, and the world,” the lawmakers said.
Their remarks underscore rare bipartisan agreement in Washington, as members of both the Democratic and Republican parties push back against Trump’s comments.
The president recently raised the possibility of a U.S. exit from NATO, citing dissatisfaction with allies’ positions, including their stance on the war in Iran.
Under U.S. law, a withdrawal from NATO would require a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate, meaning Trump cannot unilaterally pull the country out of the alliance.
Coons and McConnell also highlighted NATO’s historical role, noting that the alliance had formally invoked collective defense only once since its founding in 1949, following the Sept. 11, attacks.
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They emphasized that the sacrifices made by allied forces in conflicts alongside the U.S…
“NATO troops fought and died in Afghanistan and Iraq alongside American forces,” the statement said, warning against taking such commitments lightly.
Trump’s recent remarks have drawn concern among lawmakers who view NATO as a cornerstone of global security and transatlantic cooperation.
Donald Trump has left European allies flummoxed with mixed messaging on a threat to withdraw the US from NATO, as officials warn that even his meandering words have tarnished the deterrence factor that makes the alliance work.
The longtime NATO sceptic threatened to withdraw from NATO in 2018 and 2025 if the alliance didn’t commit to higher defense spending targets. He withdrew his threats after allies complied. Trump told Reuters he was “absolutely without question” thinking about withdrawing, and said he would make his ire towards the alliance clear in a televised speech regarding Iran.
But Trump’s speech came and went without reference to NATO leaving alliance officials relieved but still deeply unsettled by the rhetoric. NATO is built on its Article Five mutual defense clause, and the concept that all allies would fight to defend any member under attack. Alliance officials said that by simply questioning the future participation of the US — by far NATO’s biggest and most powerful military — Trump had significantly undermined that concept, and thus emboldened its adversaries.
dpa/NAN
