German Foreign Minister Johann Vaddeful said on January 7 that he had no doubt that NATO members remained united and was confident that the defense alliance would remain as it is, Reuters reported.
"The United States supports the defense of the alliance and also supports its alliance with Europe," Vaddeful said at a joint press conference in Paris with his counterparts from India, France and Poland. "I have no doubt that we are together in the closest possible unity and that this alliance will remain exactly what it has always been: the most successful defense alliance in the world," he added.
US President Donald Trump said that Russia and China are only afraid of the United States, not NATO, in a lengthy post on his own social network Truth Social.
In his post, Trump claimed, without providing evidence, that without his intervention, Russia "would have already taken over all of Ukraine." He began his statement by reminding that, at his insistence, NATO member states had committed to increasing their defense spending to 5% of GDP, up from the previous target of 2%, and according to him, "most countries haven't paid their bills".
"Without my involvement, Russia would be in control of ALL OF UKRAINE right now," Trump wrote, referring to the war in Ukraine. Before returning to the White House, he promised to end the conflict within 24 hours, but so far his attempts to achieve peace have failed to change the situation on the front. Moscow rejected Washington's initial offer of a temporary ceasefire, supported by Kiev, and continues to insist on territorial concessions.
Trump also doubts that the allies "will be there for us if we really need them."
"We will always be there for NATO, even if they are not there for us," he wrote in Truth Social.
Choosing between NATO and the United States would be a "strategic mistake," British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the House of Commons. He made the remarks after being criticized for failing to condemn the US operation in Venezuela.