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Carol Morello
National Rapporteur on Foreign Policy and Department of State
Missy Ryan
Reporter covering the Pentagon, military issues and national security
February 13th at 16:34
WARSAW – The Trump administration reaffirmed on Wednesday its commitment to the NATO alliance and its fundamental mission of a united front against Russia, but with the warning that US interests will always be at the forefront.
Vice President Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan were all in solidarity in Europe with the 70-year-old alliance that President Trump has sometimes questioned as obsolete and described as an undue burden on the United States.
"The North Atlantic Treaty Organization," said Pence when he met the Polish president, alongside Poland, in the most successful mutual defense alliance in world history – an alliance that each of you serves to defend and defend. Andrzej Duda and addressed to the Polish and American armed forces. "Under President Trump, the United States will always prioritize the security and prosperity of America. But as the President has made it clear – and as you prove every day – America does not just mean America. "
The badurances given by senior administration officials bore a hint of implicit threat that the allies would do their part to support the alliance and the symbolism of Pence and Pompeo when spreading the message in Poland was undeniable.
Poland is one of the few NATO countries to achieve the alliance's agreed defense spending target – a sore point for Trump, who has sharply criticized the allies for not consecrating enough resources to their armies – and the right-wing government's efforts to attract additional funds. Critics believe that US forces deployed in Poland are an end for NATO's decision-making process.
NATO members should spend 2% of their gross domestic product, which represents the economic activity of a country, in the defense, and Poland plans to exceed this target during the next decade, while increasing its purchases of US weapons and further encouraging its US forces to be based in the country. Pence officially signed an agreement Wednesday for Poland to buy 20 sets of US rocket launchers.
State Secretary Mike Pompeo, on the far left, Vice President Pence, in the center, and Polish President Andrzej Duda, arrive at the conference on the Middle East in Warsaw on February 13th. (Czarek Sokolowski / AP)
Pompeo visited US and Polish troops working together on a base 44 kilometers from the Russian border. He said that the United States is currently reviewing its military presence in NATO and is considering an increase in the "east flank".
"As we enter the fifth year of Vladimir Putin's war against Ukraine – a war that has unleashed on European soil – we take seriously these concerns that Russia may one day open a front along the front line here, "said Pompeo before heading to Warsaw. , where he and Pence will attend a conference on the Middle East on Thursday.
Pence and Shanahan, attending a meeting of NATO Defense Ministers at Alliance Headquarters in Brussels, both reiterated the US commitment to mutual defense under Article 5 of NATO – an attack against a member is considered an attack against all members – at a press conference. when the alliance is facing a growing threat from Russia.
Trump broke with former US presidents by failing to commit to joint defense since its first speech to NATO leaders in 2017. Since then, senior US security officials have changed their faces and sought to rebadure their allies and project solidarity with Russia.
"Whatever the threats to the future, you can be badured: under President Trump, the United States will never falter in our commitment to Article 5," said Mr. pence.
In a speech delivered in Poland in 2017, Trump said: "The West will never be broken – our values will prevail – our people will prosper – and our civilization will triumph".
"It's our cause," said Pence. "That's why NATO exists. And that is why the United States stand alongside the Polish people – today and every day. "
The United States and Poland jointly hold an international conference on peace and security in the Middle East on Thursday, which highlights the dissension between Washington and its traditional allies in Western Europe who oppose the Trump government's withdrawal from the Middle East. Nuclear agreement with Iran last year.
Fearing that the session will spark the US's willingness to paint Iran in a dark light as it marks the 40th anniversary of the Islamic revolution, many countries send relatively low-level representatives or stay away .
[Pompeo shrugs off expected no-shows ahead of U.S.-hosted conference on Middle East]
The straight-headed Polish government seeking to consolidate its ties with Trump was an eager host.
Duda, who seemed to be joking only halfway when he proposed last year that Poland is erecting "Fort Trump," has said several times Wednesday that he hoped the Pentagon would come in. add to the 4,500 US troops based in Poland.
US defense officials have discussed the increase in the number of troop deployments in Poland, and although no final decision has been announced, it is planned to increase troop levels by at least 1,000 soldiers.
Shanahan attended Wednesday at his first NATO defense ministerial meeting since he became head of the Pentagon. He replaced Jim Mattis, the former Navy general, revered in European capitals for his pbadionate defense of the US commitment to NATO and their transatlantic partners.
Mattis resigned suddenly in December because of differences with Trump, including the two men's views on historical alliances between the United States.
Speaking alongside NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, after his arrival, Mr Shanahan said he would seek to broaden the discussions on how NATO might rise to the challenge. the ever-changing security challenges in the world. He also said that he would look at the best way for NATO to use the growing contributions of member states.
Stoltenberg, later addressing reporters after a first ministerial meeting, said Shanahan's message was "very well received by all members, because it was a very strong and very clear message on the subject. imperative commitment of the United States to NATO, to Article 5 and also to the very personal. commitment he has towards NATO. "
NATO defense ministers said their first meetings with Shanahan went without a hitch.
"He said the United States remains firmly committed to the alliance," said Estonian Defense Minister Jüri Luik. "The signals from the United States have been very consistent. Nobody feels any degree of drama or surprise. "
Ryan reported from Brussels. Michael Birnbaum in Brussels contributed to this report.
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