In a major U-turn, President Donald Trump has said that NATO is “no longer obsolete”, asserting that he is committed to the military alliance.
“I complained about that a long time ago and they made a change, and now they do fight terrorism. I said it was obsolete. It’s no longer obsolete,” Trump told reporters at a joint White House news conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
“It’s my hope that NATO will take on an increased role in supporting our Iraqi partners in their battle against the ISIS,” he said about NATO which was formed in 1949.
Since then its member states have more than doubled, increasing from 12 to 28. On Monday, he signed the protocol to approve the 29th, the country of Montenegro.
“In the coming months and years, I’ll work closely with all of our NATO allies to enhance this partnership and to adapt to the challenges of the future, of which there will be many. This includes upgrading their focus on today’s most pressing security and all of its challenges, including migration and terrorism,” Trump said.
Observing that NATO countries must work together to resolve the disaster currently taking place in Syria, Trump appreciated the support of NATO members and partners in their condemnation of Assad’s murderous attack using the most horrible weapons.