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President Donald Trump gives a speech on Krasinski Square during the Three Seas Initiative Summit in Warsaw, Poland, July 6, 2017.
After failing to do so in an earlier speech in Europe, President Donald Trump on Thursday endorsed NATO’s mutual defense clause.
Speaking in Warsaw, Poland, Trump defended his calls for allies in the 28-member North Atlantic Treaty Organization to pay more for their defense. He then endorsed Article 5, which ensures that allies will come to each other’s defense in the event of an attack.
“To those who would criticize our tough stance, I would point out that the United States has demonstrated — not merely with its words but with its actions — that we stand firmly behind Article 5, the mutual defense commitment,” Trump said.
“Words are easy, but actions are what matters. And for its own protection, Europe — and you know this, everybody knows this, everybody has to know this — Europe must do more.”
Trump, who won the White House with an anti-global message, has repeatedly bashed NATO and the European Union, which have formed the basis of U.S.-Europe cooperation for decades. At a NATO summit in May, Trump declined to explicitly endorse Article 5, creating unease among European leaders at the event.
Trump’s doubts about committing to Article 5, which started when he was a candidate, came as Russia has become more militarily assertive.
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